Practice what you preach!

 I am forever going on about the importance of reading, but need to sort it out myself!

I work with an amazing teacher who feels as passionate about reading as I do! She reads consistently and where I work, we encourage children to read at least 3 times a week in order to become a "star reader". Not only does this encourage (hopefully!) a love of reading, but also increases their ability to learn and spell a range of new words and open their imaginations to many new ideas.

I have the important task each morning of checking if the children have read and find myself increasingly dismayed when a child hasn't read at home. I quite often her "I haven't had time" and end up in a discussion about how we can always make time to read. Then it dawns on me......when was the last time I read? 

With over 100 books in my book cupboard (plus a further 24 on my living room shelf!) you would think I would be reading constantly! The truth is, it has taken me over a month to read the latest novel I am reading, and it is a good one too! The reason why? I haven't had the time!!

So, not to be the hypocrite I am coming across as, I have sat down and realised that I HAVE had the time, I have just chosen to do other things with that time. If reading can help the children I work with to enhance their writing, surely I should be practising that myself to improve mine!

I do understand how parents feel like they haven't got the time to read with their child and what a battle it can be for some to get them to read, and although I haven't read much to myself of late, I have been hearing my daughter read every day. Last weekend we fished out our Christmas novels and she suddenly upped her reading game in order to finish her current read so that the Christmas reading could begin! Even our eldest was off ill from school the other day and read a whole novel whilst resting in bed (I did take her pone off of her though!!)

What I have learnt from this also is that encouraging the children not only comes from modelling it myself, but showing an interest in what they are reading at home. I recently have made it my mission to ask questions about what they are reading and what has happened in the most recent part they have read, who their favourite character is and if they recommend it. 

Anyway, I am off to finally finish the last chapter of the book I am reading (which is Something To Live For by Richard Roper and is utterly brilliant!)