A Response to “How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading” Essay

Summary John Holt is a spring instructor who sh bes personal anecdotes in his essay How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading. Holt remembers winning a traditional approach to instruction as a commencement ceremony elementary school teacher. He initially thought that quizzing students over designate readings and requiring them to use a dictionary to look up unfamiliar quarrel was a best practice. However, a conversation with his sister challenges him to think critically closely the effectiveness of his style, and he infers his methods were foolish (359). An avid reader, Holt recalls he neer looked up rowing in a dictionary as a child, but the lack of a dictionary did not make him either less intelligent or appreciative of langu come along. He, like many opposite literate people he met, developed his vocabulary by encountering the same(p) words over and over again, in different contexts (359). Holts mind of what it takes to nurture a love of reading in children from an ear ly age evolves throughout the essay. He argues that reading would be a more gratifying experience for children if parents and teachers allowed children to read stories that interest them and not expect them to understand all word or interpret e very meaning behind it. critique I discovered several strengths and weaknesses in Holts argument. I equalize with him that it is unrealistic to expect children to look up words in a dictionary to appreciate words.Holt is not against using a dictionary as long as the reader uses it practically to look up words that interest him or her. To look them up in order to go through an assignment, however, will not promise vocabulary development. It is possible that forcing words upon a beginning reader will do more harm than good. For to the highest degree(prenominal) children, learning how to read is similar to learning a current language, and this learning set improves with practice and patience. I also agree when he says we mustiness s car eful not to embarrass students if they make mistakes this method usually causes the student to give up altogether. However, Holts argument at times seems biased and over commandized. For example, he asserts that for most children school was a put of danger, and their main business in school was staying out of danger as much as possible (360). His implication that children hate reading because they venerate making mistakes is valid, but I disagree that most of them view their teachers as literary predators.Childrens attitudes about reading and education in general are affected by a number of factors such as learning styles, personality, the acquired habits, and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. To place the blame on us teachers in his inclusive comments about how we humiliate and shame children through our didactics methods is unfair because I can think of several examples where this is not unendingly true or was not necessarily true during the time he wrote the essay. His s uggestions about how teachers should assess and evaluate student writing contradicts many of the ultramodern teaching guides I have read, which posit that holistic grading includes teacher and student feedback. Application Holts essay allowed me to think critically about my own teaching methods and reflect on what has worked successfully in the classroom and what has not. Many college students take English because it is a requirement and their attitudes toward writing are much like the freshman that Holt describes in the conclusion of the article.They are very anxious about their writing even if they are strong writers, and they seldom write for pleasure rather than for necessity. Holt discourages teachers from using reading as a tool for public humiliation and promotes student-centered learning, which I advocate. While I realize there are students who depend on being told exactly what to do for each assignment they are given, I have observed that most students thrive when they hav e control over what they learn and discover new ideas independently and collectively. This is type of learning is supported by positive reinforcement. quite a than settling on any one way to motivate students, I realize that effective learning comes from an array of different approaches, and sometimes old-school teaching methods still are useful.Works CitedHolt, John. How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading. The Norton Reader. Eds. Peterson, Linda et. al. 13th edition. bare-ass York W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. pg. 358 366.