Ech 425 Interview

Katie Javens
February 5, 2017
ECH 425
Piper Loftman

  Literacy in today's classroom is the backbone of learning. It is one of the most essential tools that a child learns throughout their life and academics. It has always been suggested for parents to start reading to their children as early as in utero. Upon interviewing friends and family, the results are both similar and surprising to hear. One of the questions that was asked is how well do you value literacy in your child's life? Most of the answers that I received from this question was unanimous. Most of the parents and friends that I spoke to all acknowledged that literacy plays a big role within their children's lives and that they try to read to or to listen to their children read every night. Those of my interviewees with children not old enough to read stated that they purchase books and they make sure that these books have bright bold colors with words that a beginning reader would learn. They practice and read these books repeatedly. I wanted to gain some more insight from an interviewer who is expecting. I asked her like the others what kind of role she wanted literacy to play in her child’s life. How does she want to promote healthy reading habits? She expressed that she already reads to her unborn child and that she plans to continue to read to her child once he/she is born.  I then asked the interviewees to share their experiences with reading with or too their children. This has many mixed reviews. Some said this was an enjoyable experience, that their children really enjoy reading to them or they enjoy being read too. Then there are other interviewers who say that this is a real struggle for them and their children.

This is a statement that I can relate to and I also expressed that to the interviewees. I have read to my own daughter since day one, however all my efforts have been in vain. My daughter dislikes reading with a passion and it is a real struggle for her. We went further into discussion about how one would engage their children and have it so that they wanted to read not just that they had to. One of the most common remarks was buying books and finding things that interests them. This is a vital part in teaching children to love to read. When children have books that they are interested in and that they find fascinating they are more likely to want to read more. This is a skill that many of the interviewers have tried and have seen some success with. Once they found things that interest the child they are then able to purchase literature that better appeals to the child. Which then prompted the question as to how they answer questions that the child may have about literature and how parents respond to said questions. Most of the parents stated that they open and honestly answer questions about the book. Most parents would not ask the same questions that a teacher would about the books such as where is the title page, who is the author, why did the character do that and where did the story take place? Typically, parents ask questions such as “how did you like this book?” I suggested that when children become of age to be able to answer questions that parents then start to ask some of the same questions that a teacher would ask in the classroom. When parents start to do this, this ensures that children are comprehending what they have read or what was being read to them.