Resource Blog #2: How to Inspire Every Child to be a Lifelong Reader



Inspiring Students to Become Lifelong Readers
Image result for 85 percent of black fourth-grade boys aren't proficient in reading
Barbershop Books- Alvin Irby's nonprofit 


In this Ted Talk, Alvin Irby explains the importance of teaching students what it means to be a lifelong reader. He breaks down institutionalized racism and discusses that many young black students remain trapped in illiteracy. One of the statistics he gave backed up his point well. He stated that “85% of black male fourth-graders aren’t proficient in reading”. This is why I think this resource is so important for teachers of any content area in the middle grades. We are going to encounter students who cannot read well, and it is up to us to encourage and inspire them to read, not only in our content area, but in all the other areas, as well. The question Irby charges us to ask of ourselves is “how can we inspire children to identify as readers?” I think it starts with them having confidence in themselves and us having confidence in them. As teachers, we must be culturally competent and realize that every student can learn and become proficient in any content area. Then, we must make reading content relevant for the growing reader. This will look different for every student depending on their background, race, gender, etc. It will be difficult to address the relevancy of material, as simple as a word problem, to every student. However, I want to do this as a teacher so that I can encourage every student to grow fond of reading within my math-content area and the other content areas, as well. Every student has the capacity to grow in reading and even become strong readers. They just have to be given the right resources to excel.
Word Count: 273


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