I think that what works (may work, because there are other factors) is the
behavioural *demonstration that books are important - valued the presence of
books, the use of and reference to books without fuss
and what doesn't work is the insistence that books are important: that's the
way to turn children off anything
there weren't that many books in my parental house but there was respect for
them
I was never bludgeoned into reading; but there was clearly something going
on that I wanted to know about - they read on the occasions when they had
the time to so what was going on?
school teachers of English face a difficult problem
I think that those who are the best - and it is something I tried to do
myself for some years - are those who manage to demonstrate their own
respect for the written word
L
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 03 July 2001 00:58
Subject: Re: Poetry Down Under, Part II - The Book Report
| I've noticed that my son, who is surrounded with books at home and thus
| privileged, and who writes obssessively - plays, novels - on an ancient
| laptop in his bedroom, doesn't appear to associate this activity with the
| subject English at school. He has a fairly humourless English teacher.
| I can't work out if this is a shame - maybe not for him, but doubtlessly
| for others.
|