Swoozie Ramblings

Every day I try to offer my children at least 20 minutes of silent reading time. Some teachers call it D.E.A.R (Drop Everything and Read) or SSR (Sustained Silent Reading)...some people just call it a waste of time. I don't think so. I allow them to bring anything they want to bring as long as they are reading (within reason, of course). Every year there are 2-3 children who just don't get into it. I feel so sorry for them for I fear they will never know what it feels like to lose themselves inside a book. My parents were always reading. Before I learned to read, I used to just say a whole bunch of letters and ask my father if they meant anything. Like, "h, p,r,t...Is that a word?" He would just play along. I thank my sister for going to the library and getting a stack of books for me every few weeks or so.

As I got older, I would much rather spend my allowance on the newest Christopher Pike book than on candy. I would have given anything if my teacher would have given us time to read what we wanted. Instead, I had to sneak my book up under my textbook if I was in a particulary tense part and just couldn't put the book down. Every time I set foot in a bookstore I come out with a new book even if I have a stack at home waiting to be read.