by CATHERINE ILIAN

This paper was written in fulfillment of an assignment for EDIS 770.

I am a former skeptic, I must admit.  Before I started the reading program, I taught practical English in High school and also psychology.  Being a long-term substitute, and new to education, I meekly agreed with the old teacherís plans: to plow ahead with the difficult ninth grade literature textbook-in spite of the fact that the kids could barely read five out of ten words correctly in this textbook. Class consisted of reading out loud to them the required literature on the SOLs, letting them read out loud at easy parts.  The special ed teacher and I commiserated every day on their lack of motivation and slowness with reading.  Now after being in the reading program for only a few months, and still a rookie, I berate my own stupidity at insisting that the kids must read the ninth grade literature book.  No wonder they were so disruptive!  I would be bored and disruptive, too, if forced to read something I only read with 50% accuracy out loud.  If I had to do it again, I would find literature that was written at their level, or easier works by the same author to cover the themes of the SOL in ninth grade.  I would find simpler versions of the Shakespeare story. 

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