Wilhelm's "You Gotta BE the Book" Intro, Chap. 1,2,3

After reading Wilhelm’s “You Gotta Be the Book,” I was immediately intrigued.  The introduction was so interesting and made me think of things I have never thought of before.  Wilhelm brought forth his own experiences and strategies that worked for him and also ones that did not work for him.  I put myself in his place wondering what it would be like to be in his sort of situation and who knows maybe one day I will be in that same situation.  Wilhelm’s introduction is the way every book should be for a student, to grasp their attention and hold it for the chapters to come.  Since I am interested in the material presented by Wilhelm, I am hooked to it and want to learn from it.  Wilhelm even pointed out in his introduction, on page 13-14, when working with Sasha, that the student’s interest is a key component to becoming successful in reading.  By adapting to the student’s interest and following the common procedures as the other students, it can make the biggest difference in a student who is reading and not reading.  Sometimes to start out, a teacher may need to take into consideration what the student likes to hook them into reading and to not be reluctant.  I have learned from previous reading education courses and professors that a student should be slowly introduced to different genres and books by letting students read what interests them first such as magazines  Since I am an Elementary Education major with a reading minor, I have learned the key for elementary students to start reading is by reading what interests them.

In Chapter One, when reading the section the “Bottom-Up Approach,” Wilhelm talked about Randy, a student who said that school will only get worse.  I thought about this and related it to the school-age kids I have at the daycare where I work.  I often hear the kids say how much they hate school and it just gets worse and worse each year.  I feel this has to do with difficulties in reading, not liking to read, and the way reading is being taught.  Randy was the same way.  He hated to read.  Students learn how to read from the “Bottom-Up Approach,” which means “parts to whole” (19).  A student is working from the bottom to the top, working with the simplest components to the more complex to complete the “whole” being able to read.  There is a strong emphasis today on students learning phonics which is the understanding of the letter to sound relationship in the basics of learning how to read.  I can remember in elementary school being taught “whole language” rather than phonics.  Whole language is the opposite of phonics.  It consisted of reading a book the way it looks without sounding out the words.  I struggled learning how to read through “whole language”.  I feel as though I needed a background in phonics to know the letter to sound relationship when reading.  I agree with Wilhelm when he states, “I understand that students have to know some phonics to read” (19).  Phonics often turns into doing worksheets and engaging themselves in a book.  Reading should be a combination of phonics and “whole language”.  This gives students the chance to know their letters and the sounds that they make and apply them to reading a book. 

As I continued to read in chapter one, I came across a part about having the “correct” interpretations when reading (23).  Students feel the need to have the “correct” answer rather than answering how they feel or interpret the question.  Students shy away from answering questions if they feel as though they will be incorrect.  I know from experience when I was in elementary school up until high school I would not like to answer questions I did not feel were the correct answer to the teacher.  Now that I am in college, I like to answer questions giving my interpretation and answer of the question because it may be something the professor has not thought about before.  This comes from reading books that there is only one answer, but really there are many meanings to a book.  It is all about how the student views the question.  Teachers often push memorization and for students to think the same thing.  Students do not create their own meaning through that process.  We want students to tell why the text is important, how they can connect it to their lives and other stories, and why they need to learn it.  I feel teachers often get the question from students as to “why we have to do this”.  I have learned this from previous professors, if a teacher cannot justify why, then why does a student have to learn or create meaning from reading a story. 

As I read through the rest of the chapters, I paid close attention to Chapter Three.  I was very interested and found a lot of useful strategies.  What really stuck out to me were the sections on relating to the text.  I feel this is very important while reading, comprehending, and giving to a text.  This is also something I do while I read.  On page 79, Wilhelm talks about relating to characters.  Students often relate themselves to the main character.  They put themselves in that perspective while reading.  I feel this is incredibly important and agree with Wilhelm because the student is able to have a higher level of thinking while relating to the characters which ultimately gives the teacher many different perspectives and meanings.  A teacher wants to see their students thinking differently rather than having that same or that “correct” answer.  On page 93, Wilhelm reflects on how the students relate the text to his/her life or to the world.  The students are using their prior knowledge to connect to the text.  This is something as teachers we can teach to our other students, because this highly engages them to the text.  Through my college education, my professors have talked about role-playing.  In elementary education, we use “readers-theater” which is similar to role-playing.  Students are able to become the character and work with one another to role play.  I love how Wilhelm describes the importance of role-playing.  He states, “This highlights the importance of balancing shared and individualized readings. When students read individually, they can exercise their individual taste and response, and they can encourage others to read the books they have enjoyed.  When readings are shared, students have the opportunity to create response together, to compare response and ways of reading, and to learn from each other about these ways of reading” (96).  Students can connect and interact with one another through reading.  This is very important to a classroom is incorporating individual and shared reading. 

As I have read through the chapters in Wilhelm’s “You Gotta Be the Book,” I have found many connections I can relate to on a personal level and ways I can connect as a teacher-to-be.  He provides many strategies and useful information that is easy to read and comprehend.  Even though Wilhelm’s text is geared for the adolescent age level and I am an Elementary Education major, I am still able to relate what I have learned so far in the courses I have taken and can adapt them to a level for the elementary age level.