The next section of the book is not actually a chapter. It is a small section in between chapters to introduce the readers to the some of the boys that participated in the study. This section included information about the boy’s interests and what literacy was to them and how it is incorporated into their lives. This includes what they feel towards reading and how reading is involved in their day-to-day activities.
Another part that I thought was particularly interesting in this mini-chapter was that the author talked to the boys about perseverance and how they feel towards different activities. This included things they excelled at and things they struggle with. Sports, extra curricular activities and school were topics covered. The boys talked about how it made them feel when they struggle in an area and how they feel when they excel. They talked about how they persevere when they are not that good at something, how this makes them feel and how they overcome.
I found this to be a great insight to the boy’s personalities that were in the study. The way that these boys attack a problem or simply ignore it is a fascinating way to see how they would approach struggles with reading. I think this would be similar to how they would react if they were struggling with a concept in literacy and how they would approach trying to improve.
This type of information is good to know when you are working with students. Knowing your students and their areas of struggle are important for a teacher. It is also just as important to know their strengths!
When a teacher knows their students strengths, they can use that to boost their self-esteem if they are struggling. I think it is just as important to point out their strengths as it is to comment on the areas where they are struggling. This means that we must focus on getting to know our students better. With all of the blogs I have been reading, it seems that everyone agrees on the importance of knowing your students.
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