Gardner: Remembering what is important

I don’t recall exactly when I began writing “Reading Matters,” but I know it was before 2004.

When I took classes for my master’s degree in literacy, one of the textbooks said that those teaching reading have a responsibility to be literacy leaders in their community.

At the time, and still true today, much of what appeared in the media about reading was negative.

I thought it would be good to write something positive aimed at parents, grandparents and caregivers. The editor at that time, Vinde Wells, agreed, and the column began.

I am retiring in August from teaching at Northern Illinois University and have decided to retire from writing this monthly column as well.

As I write my final column, I’m thinking of what I’ve written over the years and the most important aspects of learning to read. The following are ideas that I’ve written about often and still hold true for today.

If someone did a search of all my columns, I’m positive they would find that the most repeated advice would be read to kids!

I still would say that is the one most important things we can do to support young readers and to encourage readers of all ages.

Reading aloud has no age limit – read to them as long as you can, then read together. Build that sense of closeness, that enjoyment you find when you share a book with someone.

I often read aloud to my college students. One year I received a thank you note from one of them. The student wrote: “Thank you for reading to us. No one every read to me before.” That’s the power of reading aloud.

Along with that, I think the next most often repeated advice was talk to them. The importance of oral language development cannot be overstated.

Reading is language-based, so developing oral language helps early readers. Oral language also helps build vocabulary, and a rich vocabulary is necessary for reading comprehension.

Engaging in discussions about what is read leads to the understanding that when we read, we are trying to make meaning of the author’s words.

Much is being shared currently about the negative effects of too much screen time, especially on young children, with evidence that it can harm cognitive, linguistic and social-emotional growth.

Reading and talking to children offer quality one-on-one interaction time with the adults in their lives. Screen time cannot do that.

I believe so strongly in our public libraries that this column often referenced the use of local libraries for summer reading – as a valuable resource in finding books to interest all readers and as a place to learn.

We must understand and appreciate the value of our public libraries, use them and support them in any way we can, and fight to keep them open!

Reading is a complex process. There are building blocks that must be learned early to begin that process, beginning with learning the names of, sounds for and how to write the letters of the alphabet. Readers also must learn how to listen to the sounds in words.

Then there are many letter-sound patterns in English that must be learned so that readers can eventually decode words automatically. Yes, that’s phonics, and it’s important!

Finally, I know that the definition of what it means to be literate changes with every new technological advance. I think about what it meant to be literate even 10 or 15 years ago, much less when my grandfather graduated from eighth grade.

It is vital that we fight to teach all children to read and be sure they have access to texts of all kinds. Literacy cannot only be for certain groups of people. We also must teach our children to think critically about what they read.

Our country, our democracy and our world depends on those kinds of readers.

Thank you for reading this column over the years. I’ll still be promoting literacy where I can. I’m counting on you to take up the cause as well.

• Mary Gardner is a retired teacher who specialized in reading and is still an instructor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Northern Illinois University.