Affective Dimensions of Reading

Reading has always been an important part of my life.  My mother, a dedicated second grade teacher, taught me how to read before I even attended kindergarten.  When I was growing up she took me to the local library weekly where she volunteered as a story time reader.  Before going home we would check out as many books as we could, using baskets to take them all back to the car.  Throughout the week, we would read each book and dutifully return them on our next visit.

Because of my mother's persistent efforts, I was often one of the best readers in my class throughout my public education.  Over time, my reading interests have become focused on books that could be considered Classical Literature.  When my high school teachers introduced me to books such as "The Scarlet Letter" and "Great Expectations", they instantly became favorites.  Similar literature has continued to inspire me.  Unfortunately, I have read less and less in the five years since high school.  I no longer can find time to sit down and enjoy the literature I'd like because I am bogged down with school assignments, work, and just trying to stay afloat amid my many obligations. 

I hesitate when I think about times in my life when I disliked reading because there are very few.  I sometimes disliked reading when forced to do it for a class; however, I often return to the same readings years later and find them beautiful and inspiring.  This was the case in my History of the Soviet Union class a couple years ago.  The professor, an ancient man with a stutter, had us read a piece of Russian literature and write an enormous paper on it.  The novel, "Dr. Zhivago", was the bane of my existence for several weeks as I struggled to get through it's lengthy and wordy pages.  This past summer however, I picked it up again and couldn't stop reading it!  I found myself very engaged in the story and meaning of the same novel that had once bored me tremendously only a couple years previous. 

I hope I can foster a love of reading in my class, just as my mother did in my home.  One of the first things I can do as a teacher is express my own love for reading.  Simply making students aware that I read for fun and enjoyment can encourage them to do the same.  More specifically, I can encourage reading for learning purposes in a history class.  Text is very important in history; however, students shouldn't be forced to read lengthy speeches and difficult documents.  Rather, I can provide shortened versions of text to students so they can understand and read more manageable historic accounts.  This will bolster student confidence in reading by giving them texts that are within their reading level.  Including novels in history classes, as my History of the Soviet Union professor did, can also engage students in meaningful historic text of a different kind. 

My name is Kate Rasmussen.  I am proudly embarking on my fifth and final year at Utah State University.  So far I have half of a music minor under my belt, the equivalent of several art minors, and most of my teaching major completed.  As you can tell from my unnecessarily extensive education, I have a variety of interests.  I love art and music and consider creativity to be my greatest talent.  I also love the outdoors.  I particularly enjoy hiking, fishing, canoeing, and just about any outdoor activity that doesn't demand too high a level of coordination or skill.  

I am also a hardworking and hopeful aspiring secondary education teacher.  I am 22, although I am often told I look young enough to be in high school.  I guess I'll fit right in!  When I graduate, I will be certified with a Social Studies Composite Teaching Major.  In other words, I will be able to teach history, geography, political science, psychology, sociology, and economics.  Economics is at the end of the list because, for the sake of myself and my future students, it is the one subject I will hopefully never be teaching.

For me, social studies means studying and making sense of the world.  I was drawn to this subject because it is a necessary and undervalued part of a complete education.  Students who understand social studies are better able to read their world and are empowered to change it.

Literacy and social studies are deeply connected.  My definition of literacy embodies skills such as synthesizing across sources, effectively expressing ideas, and having the ability to think and analyze critically.  In every social studies subject, these skills are needed.  Within social studies, students are forced to look at and understand different perspectives and come to individual conclusions.  Students also need to express conclusions and ideas in a coherent way that can be shared with others.  Literacy is a necessary tool in acquiring knowledge within the social sciences.