What's Your Reading Life Like?

Bomer talked about how we can explore reading lives. I feel this is important for teacher's to get a sense of how and when their students like to read. Some questions he presented are listed below:

• How does your current book travel around with you? What exact part of your backpack, pocket, purse, or whatever is involved?

• What are the regular sections of your day? What little reading appointments might be possible in there?

• What are some possible places for reading? How might different places go with different types of reading? Like what could you read on the bus, in bed, at the kitchen table, in school? What are the challenges about each of those places, and how do you deal with those challenges?

• Who knows what you're reading right now? Who do you sometimes think about telling about your book? Who gives recommendations? Whose reading do you wonder about?

    I think these questions make our students think about their reading and what they find works best for them. I reflected on my reading life when I assessed these questions to how I conduct my reading and what works best for me. I think to show our students our own answers to these questions to show what our reading life is like, and how we can inspire change/inspiration with our own students as they read for our class. This would be my example answering some of the questions presented:

    I'm currently reading Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome, and where it stays depends on what I have going on that day. Yesterday it was in my backpack right in front of my textbooks for class, because I planned to read it before class, which I did. Usually it stays on my desk atop other books to remind to get some reading done. I usually find myself reading during the afternoon, since I'm the least busiest then, and it's my brain break before spending a few hours doing homework each night. When I'm at home I recline in our recliner and get comfortable, but not too comfortable that I'll fall asleep. I do try to plan times when I can read, but sometimes it's spontaneous and I just feel like I need a break and start reading, and before I know it I've read a few chapters. I have different places for reading, but they are usually out of my room/my bed. That's usually my comfort space where I'm more apt to falling asleep if I get too comfortable. That's why I typically sit in a chair and get comfortable, or set up pillows and blankets on the floor. There are some places I could never read, like a car, a bus any moving object really, because I would be distracted by the things outside. I try to set up in a place with minimal distractions and interactions so that I'm not too bothered. Usually more of my academic reading is done in the living room, where I'm away from my distractions and the tv is turned off, and my pleasure reading in places where I can get comfortable and enjoy my book. Different settings in my home and school affect my memories when it comes to reading. When I'm faced with challenges, I try to readjust my focus and comfort level, and getting resituated that I can continue reading. My mom is someone who has pretty much the best idea of what I'm reading due to me bringing books home from the library, and seeing me reading them at home. She, along with many of my professors give me recommendations, or mention books, and I go and look them up to see if they are something I would like to read, or have for my students. 

    One other question I would want to present to my students would be:

• What could you read if you wanted a real challenge, something you could understand, but that would make you work?

    I think this question would challenge students. it challenged me when thinking about it. I think John Grisham and his crime books challenge me as I'm reading them, and they make me want to know more, as I read each one. I find myself only planning to read a few chapters before bed, or during the day, but as he finishes a chapter I stop at, I have more questions than answers, and want to know what's going to happen next and how might my opinions and ideas of what's going to happen change. I can understand his books and the subject they're about, but most times they make me work and really make us think of the characters, and the plot in this story. It feels that just as we think we know the story is going one way, he takes us on a different path. Those types of books make me think about things differently and challenge my way of thinking, even though they are fiction. I feel like often times we choose the easy way of doing things, and we need to show ourselves and students that taking on a challenge is fun, and that we can learn something new out of it. It can also be very rewarding to read a book that challenges us on many levels, because that's our we're able to increase our vocabulary knowledge, and ideals in life.