When I was in the classroom, I read aloud for about 30 minutes to my class. As a librarian, I read aloud to the students--except for a few teachers who didn't want to stay for the reading.
IMO, the greatest gift a parent can give to a child is to read to the child and to instill a love of reading. It opens the doors to the world and helps the child succeed in the world.
If you do not Take an interest in The affairs of your government, Then you are doomed To live under The rule of fools. Plato
While I don’t remember it, I know my older siblings read to me and taught me to read before I was in kindergarten. I loved reading when I was very young and was a voracious reader. Since I was also a night owl as a kid, my parents had a hard time getting me to put the book down and go to bed at night.
I’ve read to my DD since she was born. Now that she can read herself, we trade off some but she still likes me to read to her at bedtime because it’s easier for her to relax and enjoy the story if she isn’t trying to sound out words she doesn’t know. She reads well above her grade level and she also likes to read independently for pleasure which makes me happy. Her dad isn’t much of a reader at all so I’m glad she takes more after me in that regard. Reading to her at night is my favorite time of the day.
Miracles shouldn’t be Plan A
I’ve got mountains to climb and I don’t need a backpack full of rocks.
Thank goodness, yes! My mom read to me, my older brother, my grandparents and my elementary school teachers through 6th grade read to me. My whole family are readers, i read to all the kids in my life too. In 4th grade I had an amazing teacher who read to us with different voices, I still remember her reading Where the Red Fern Grows and even the toughest of boys crying. My grandpa read the Bobbsey Twins to me, my brother read me comics and scary stuff, my mom and grandma read me typical children books, I feel very fortunate to have had such a family of book lovers.
PeaNut 83,570 April 2003 Posts: 5,532 Loc: Halloweentown
Yes, I was very fortunate. Both my parents are readers. My Mom read to us because my father was busy at work. She read to me and my siblings (I was the oldest of 4) every night before bed. Out of the 4 of us only my sister isn't a reader. The rest of us (5 in the family) are vicarious readers and talk books, trade books back and forth whenever we get together. You should see my parent's home-books stacked everywhere. It's wonderful-mine is just the same.
I remember in elementary school having teachers reading to us. It was such a magical time for me. I distinctly remember the day I learned how to read. I was sitting in first grade with a Dick and Jane book in front of me, and all at once the letters came together and formed a word. It was like magic! I ran home after school to tell my mother, "I can read! I can read!" I was filled with utter happiness! Since that day I have read every single day of my life.
I have one child and I started reading to him when he was still in the womb. I sat in the rocking chair with a basket of books next to me and read to him before he was born. When he was born I read to him every night at bedtime. My mother, father and his other grandparents also read to him at bedtime for years until he said he was old enough and didn't want to anymore. Sadly he is not a reader. He has ADHD and tells me reading is too slow for him. He will read a book if it interests him greatly.
I was read to a lot as a child by my parents.. and we went to the library every week. my 2nd grade teacher would read Mrs. Piggly-Wiggly stories to us out loud. I read a lot to my kids.. read Tom Sawyer one year.. poetry, etc. as a nanny, I have done a lot of reading out loud.. the classics, magic treehouse, the 13 clocks.. lots and lots and lots..
I started reading at 4. so I also just read 10-20 books a week in elementary school.
I do not recall ever being read to by my parents, nor do my siblings. I was a super early reader, and my mom was good about getting me to the library, where I checked out insane numbers of books.
I remember a couple of teachers that read to us.
Both dh and I read a ton to ds. And even now dh climbs in bed with ds (17 nearly 18) and reads to him. I read to him until he was 13 or 14. Just the other day he was waxing poetic about how much he loves that we read to him so much. He even asked me to read him his favorite book from his Jr high days. We have been thoroughly enjoying the story and the time.
I guess the woman who pushed me out of her vagina read to me, she taught me to read so she must have done. I preferred reading to myself once I knew how to read.
Yes, both my parents read to me when I was young. Can't remember off hand when they actually stopped but it was a regular bedtime routine for one or the other to read us a story before we went to sleep. Both DH and I have done the same to our DD's when they were young. I started introducing books to DD's from the age of about 6 months. They also had part of the school day as " story time" when they were in primary school especially in the first two or three years. They still read aloud even now though in their English Literature lessons, when they are discussing/studying a novel.
My parents read to us, but I don’t remember what. Both my grandmothers read to us. One always read the Donald Duck Magazine, she worked for the publicer, and all employes got an example each week of all the published Magazines. The other read stories by Astrid Lindgreen to us.
I used a lot of time at the library with friends after school. And have always been reading a lot.
I read a lot to my DDs , I read all the Harry Potter books to them. When the last book came they were 18 and 16 yo and insisted that “HP has to be read out loud by mom”, so I did 😄 Both my DDs read a lot of fanasybooks, and I love when they discuss the books
My parents read to me, I had a babysitter who read to me, and I also had several teachers who did. One of my strongest memories of grammar school was a when our teacher read us Where The Red Fern Grows and we all had our heads down trying to act like, "Oh, yeah, my nose is running a little." Now I wonder how the teacher read that book aloud and didn't cry. She only did a chapter a day, but I remember being gut-wrenched because 1) I wanted to know what was going to happen next but I was also afraid, and 2) I knew I was going to spend that portion of class trying not to ugly cry in front of my classmates.
My husband and I read to each other, and I have tried to get most of my previous BFs to read to me.
I kind of wonder now if I've always liked it because I am an auditory/verbal learner or vice versa. Probably a little of both.
My parents read to me a ton until I was about four years old and learned to read to myself. I don't remember them reading to me after that but I'm sure they--and I--read to my younger siblings, too.
My third grade teacher read to the class a lot. She read us The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and I just loved it.
I adored reading to my nieces and nephews when they were little. My youngest niece, Marissa, would sit still for incredibly long periods of time when she was just two, and pay total attention to what you were reading to her. At thirteen, she's still a voracious reader.
PeaNut 8,446 RefuPea 63
December 2000
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I know my mom read to us, and she read a lot on her own, but I honestly don't have many memories of that at all. Once I learned to read, I preferred to read on my own - I could read faster and read more that way. My mom took my sister and me to the library (and paid for a library card because we weren't in the library district since we grew up on a farm) every two weeks and I had an amazing relationship with the children's librarian. My dad read more as he aged, but when I was younger the farm work kept him busy and tired. My brother reads more as an adult than he did when he was young.
I know teachers read to my classes, especially after lunch. I remember sitting on the heater drying off in the winter as one read to us, but I couldn't tell you any books in particular. Most of the time I preferred to read it to myself than to be read to. I was the kid who read by flashlight or turned on my bedroom light again after everyone went to bed. I was the kid who was reading the biographies at the back of the social studies book at the same time the rest of the class was reading aloud paragraph by paragraph; I just tracked where they were in case I got called on. I had the chapter book inside the bigger social studies book (that I'd already read) while we were supposed to be reading silently.
Reading - and books - have been huge loves in my life - so much so that when I was in first grade I decided I wanted to be a teacher and teach kids to read. I've spent my whole career doing that. I've found most kids really love to be read to.
My primary school teachers all read to us, and we loved Story time. I especially remember having Roald Dahl's Witches being read to us in about 4th or 5th grade. I also remember reading Charlotte's Web to my siblings, who weren't great readers. I read to both my kids every night until the youngest was about 8 or 9, by that time they were both into different things and would read by themselves.
International Pea here, in case you are wondering!
My parents read to me and my siblings growing up - I don't remember when they stopped but it was well after I learned to read (I read early, at age 4). I have loved books my entire life and crave words/reading. I'm very visual so I get more out of a book if I read it/see the words but have fond memories of being read to by both parents, especially before bed. My dad was more likely to make up his own stories to tell us and we loved that just as much as being read favorite books. I do recall him reading James & the Giant Peach to me on vacation one year.
We went to the library at least weekly growing up and I would fill a giant tote bag with books and read them all. I read everything. Used to stay up later because I couldn't put the book down. I treasure my favorites and come back to them over and over again.
I read to my younger siblings growing up as well and to almost every kid I babysat for. I used to babysit weekly for a family that also loved books and there was always a new book in their house. I would read to both girls before they went to bed, a few chapters each night. We went through so many good books! I had another babysitting job that I read to the kids on a regular basis too, their parents weren't big readers but loved that I read to the kids and the kids loved it too. I still buy them books for their birthdays and the boy admits that he doesn't love to read but I "always pick good books".
I wish I had more time to read for fun now but life gets in the way. I have learned to like audiobooks for the car while I drive but prefer ones I have already read!
Nope. Never. Which I only thought about when we were talking about favorite childhood books. I like to think that I became a reader in spite of and not because of.
Yes, she did and then when I began to read at the age of 4, would often have me read to her. I also remember being in about 6th grade and home sick from school and she spent the day reading to me. It's such a nice memory.
Stephanie
I'm an enigma. Or am I?
PeaNut 14,100, Refupea 48
April 2001
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My favorite time of the day as a teacher was read aloud. Sometimes my ten minutes turned into thirty minutes if it was an especially good part of the story. I''d always ask the kids what their favorite book was that I read to them and most often it was The Pagemaster. When I would ask why, the kids would always agree it was the voices of the characters. Made me feel like Jim Dale (guy who did the voice for the Harry Potter series).
I saw Jim Dale as Barnum (a musical) years ago. He was marvelous in the role.
I'd like to help you out. Which way did you come in?
PeaNut 90,665 June 2003 Posts: 16,522 Layouts: 0 Loc: Wherever my little mind takes me