Reading is an active, imaginative act; it takes work.
―Khaled Hosseini
The Beginning is Always Today
A few weeks ago, on a neighborhood walk in mid-summer, I bumped into Stuart, whom I knew casually. “How is your daughter doing?” I asked him.
“Well, she just finished kindergarten, and we’re concerned she’s not reading. Her teacher sent home lots of phonics readers, so we work on those and we have her sound out some words when we read aloud to her.”
My words tumbled out. “Wait. Hold on here. I think you may know I’m a reading teacher.” Choosing my words carefully, I said: “Phonics and sounding out words are very important, but so are reading and writing stories and books of all kinds. We want those three areas to work together so everything makes sense. Just keep reading aloud to her and enjoying books and stories together. She’s not reading yet. She will learn to read.”
Concerned by the message this parent was receiving about reading, I invited him along with his wife, Sarah, and daughter Chloe—neither of whom I’d ever met—to come to my home for a visit. I offered to show them my extensive children’s book collection, let their daughter choose some books to peruse and keep, and observe me when I read aloud with Chloe. A week later they accepted my invitation.
I asked Stuart what kind of stories Chloe likes, what her interests are, and “Would she prefer my homemade chocolate chip cookies with or without nuts?” I selected great picture books and set up my home and outdoor spaces to accommodate Chloe’s wishes and interests.
After a tour of our home and some time spent enjoying books together, we went outdoors for cookies and lemonade. Then with her parents, we went up to the tree house my husband designed and built for our grandkids. I thought Chloe would be enchanted with reading a book in the hammock chair, but what she immediately chose instead was to draw in detail, using the colored pencils, pen, and paper I’d left on the treehouse desk. She could hardly wait to share her drawings and talk about them with my husband, Frank, who she now knew was an artist. Then she insisted on giving her handiwork to Frank as a gift.
After the visit I emailed her dad:
It was a joy and pleasure to have you, Sarah, and Chloe visit with us this past Sat. She is an enchanting, imaginative, exuberant child.
Please come back soon! I suspect the way into reading for her may be writing. Kids can almost always read their own stories, and I can show you how to write stories with her in a way that is easy and enjoyable.
The last thing Chloe had done before they all left was to come into my writing room/office and ask me, “How do you become a writer? What do you do first? Can you help me be a writer?”
I have no doubt that with us writing a book together and her adding in illustrations that support her language, she will easily read her own words. I can hardly wait to be part of the magic that awaits her.
Everyone needs a place to imagine. A place to feel free and secure. The right to become a strong and joyful reader. Start where the child is, by noticing and celebrating their strengths, interests, and talents. That’s where the magic of reading starts and where becoming a reader begins.
With the start of a new school year, and at all times, keep in mind that comprehension is always part of the learning-to-read process, and there is no one “right” path to becoming a reader. It takes courage and professional knowledge as a teacher, leader, and administrator to find a way to let parents know—and for us educators to practice—what’s most useful and joyful in helping a child become a reader.
Regie Routman
Regie Routman has more than 50 years of experience teaching, coaching, and leading in diverse, underperforming schools and classrooms across the U.S. and Canada where she works to create and sustain intellectual, joyful, and equitable school cultures where all learners can thrive. She is the author, most recently, of The Heart-Centered Teacher: Restoring Hope, Joy, and Possibility in Uncertain Times (Routledge 2024), which includes a free companion website with multiple literacy resources and an audiobook, narrated by the author. For full information on Regie’s many books, videos, and resources—and to contact her—go to www.regieroutman.org and @regieroutman on X.
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Quote It:
The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.
—Mother Teresa
That’s all for this week!
