Sheryl Hilton's Blog Post 3- Routman Chapter 3- Share Your Reading Life

It is so true that when students are asked "Why do you read?" the responses usually do not include I read for enjoyment. This chapter had several good suggestions on helping students discover a love of reading.
I love the idea of sharing books that interest me as a reader to my students. I love how the principal of a school asks their students about their "now" and "next" book. It gets them to look ahead as a reader to ensure they are continually reading.
I feel that conferencing with students has helped me get to know my students in a more personal way. One of my struggling readers opened up and shared that he liked books about dinosaurs. I asked him if he had books at home he read about dinosaurs and he responded "no". I was able to find out one of his interests and that I needed to make sure I have books available about dinosaurs for him when he goes shopping for books. Had I not spent a few minutes conferencing with him I would have missed a wonderful opportunity to learn a little more about his reading preferences. I have also found that talking about favorite books comes easily for some while those that are seldom read to have a more difficult time thinking about their favorite book and offer less information about the book. I might try making an ongoing chart of favorite authors and books to promote excitement for reading and creating an interest in books.
I loved how the writer suggests taking the responsibility off of parents signing off on reading logs and putting the responsibility on the student. It gives them ownership of their reading. I would be interested to know how to model this process and make it work with how we do Roebuck Readers. As the book says we don't want reading to become a dreaded chore because we have attached a requirement or grade to reading. I want my students to develop a love for reading.