Begin
with Basic Tools
Did you
know that over 90% of the English language is phonetically correct? I have personally always struggled with
spelling and when I heard this statistic, I wanted proof. I found “proof” in my favorite resource, Spell
to Write and Read. I cannot
give this program enough praise. It is
truly the secret to our families reading success. You can find it at http://www.bhibooks.net/home.html
A Vacuum of Stimulation
Just
like any other habit in your life that you want to create, you must make room
for it. No child would ever pick up a
book on their own if they are allowed unlimited time with Television, Movies,
Internet, and Video Games. If you want to raise a good reader, it is time to
UNPLUG your family and let your children become very, very bored. This may take some time to adjust too, that I
like to refer as “detoxing.” After a
week or two of no electronic stimulation, your children will be craving new
ideas – and that is where books come into the picture.
Besides
too much electronic stimulation squishing any desire to read, children can also
spend too much time with friends, sports, dance, and other activities such as
roaming the neighborhood. Freeing their
schedule up and allowing your children to have hours of “boredom” will highly
increase their desire to read quit naturally.
Poetry
Did you
know that the average American functions at only a 4th-grade reading
level? This is the level that we read newspapers, hear and understand our media
and speak daily to one another. How do
we surpass this average and start thriving at a higher level? POETRY! Add it to your student’s daily lives
through reading it, memorizing it, reciting it, and copying it. Poetry gives us a superior form of patterns
of the English language at all levels.
Time,
Not Content
Great
mentors help their students establish and follow a consistent schedule, but
they don’t micromanage the content. Indeed,
micro-management has become one of the real poisons of modern education. Encourage
students to pursue their interests and passions during their study time. For example:
Set aside a half hour a day for your student to read, but let them
choose what it is they read.
Classics,
Not Textbooks
No one
can deny the value of a great idea well communicated. The inspiration,
innovation and ingenuity inherent in great ideas elevate those who study
them. Great ideas are most effectively
learned directly from the greatest thinkers, historians, artists, philosophers
and prophets, and their original works. Great works inspire greatness, just as
mediocre or poor works usually inspire mediocre and poor achievement. The great accomplishments of humanity are the
key to quality education. Study original sources —
the intellectual and creative works of the world’s great thinkers, artists,
scientists, etc., in the form they were produced. Refer to the “Fantastic Reads for All Ages”book list for ideas for class titles.
Introduce new classics to your student by reading them aloud together.
Audio
Books
A person can often understand concepts and
vocabulary at a much higher level and rate when they are listening to a book,
instead of reading it. Listening to
audio books is fantastic way to introduce your student to classics, which would
be too difficult for them to read independently. (This really works! My ten-year-old son
recently no only listened to unabridged production of Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane
Eyre,” he loved it too.) Listening to
great classics improves vocabulary, pronunciation, and comprehension.
Inspire With Your Example
Focus on your education, and invite them along
for the ride. Read the classics in
all fields, find mentors who inspire and demand quality, structure your days to
include study time for yourself, and become a person who inspires great
education. A parent or teacher doesn’t
have to be an “expert” to inspire great education (the classics provide the
expertise), but he does have to be setting the example.
