Talking Points #2

Terry Meier
"Why Can't She Remember That?


Quotes:
1.  "Marisa's quick-thinking switch to teasing behavior had been successful in getting her out of trouble was confirmed when everyone at the table, including her father laughed."  I find this really impressive at almost three years old, this little girl can push her limits enough and know exactly when to call it quits.  I find myself doing this as well except I'm a sophomore in college!  It is amazing to think that they can know exactly what to do to get them out of trouble or what to say to make people laugh when they don't even know exactly how to say it properly because they are so young.  They cannot even form a sentence yet but they can recognize the body language that means "I'm in trouble."   

2.  "Book knowledge becomes, in essence, part of these children's sense of identity in the world."  I have been babysitting for approximately seven years and mostly all of the children I watch have a nightly routine of reading a few books before they go to bed.  I always found this important for a child's development.  When I compared the kids that had to read every night with the ones that didn't, I noticed that the more well-behaved and better listening children were the kids I read to.  It definitely helps them gain a sense of identity because it opens them up to a variety of topics at such a young age.

3.  "In addition to the teacher using dolls and puppets to help read books in lively and engaging ways, children can use them to dramatize the story in the book or to create new dialogues and stories of their own.  These storybook characters can also be used in more structured ways to help children develop deeper understandings of story elements like character and plot."  At such a young age, it may be hard to capture their attention simply by reading to them.  If you make if more interesting, they will want to listen and learn.  I remember my elementary school librarian would read to us in the most creative, dramatized way that it was almost impossible to ignore.  It made us all want to listen and made it more enjoyable to focus.  I think this is a really good tip for us "teachers in the making" to keep in mind when we become a part of the career world.

I really found that this article had a lot of helpful hints.  It stated many things that would be essential to what I consider would be a well functioning classroom.  It stated several ways in which learning and reading can be more interesting to younger students and to make it more engaging and interactive for them.  Storybooks can relate to the lives of these young children and it will help mold their identities if you can make them get something out of the story.  I feel as though there may be a few students that this does not apply to but I am not sure...just a thought.
As a "teacher in the making," I think all of the points made in this article will play an important role in my classroom in the future.  I know that I always enjoyed learning when it was made fun and it was always easier to pay attention when things were exciting and new.  I really enjoyed this article and found it extremely helpful and interesting.  I'm glad we were assigned this article to read and recommend it to anyone in the teaching profession.