I Read It, But I Don't Get It

The chapter that stuck with me the most in “I Read It, But I don’t Get It”, by Cris Tovani, would be chapter 5. Tovani discusses how students get stuck in reading, and they just quit. That is exactly what I do, even to this day. If I don’t understand a text, then I don’t even want to bother with it. It was useful reading the different strategies on how I can fix that type of issue. I like when the author talks about thinking harder. That doesn’t even work! I had math teacher who used to tell me to think harder when I didn’t get a problem, as well. It frustrated me. If I don’t get it then I don’t get it, why are you forcing me to find an answer I don’t know. I feel like teachers in general do not want to give their students the answer, so they sit there until a light bulb turns on above their students’ head. Which sometimes it does, but most of the time the student just wants the answer.

One strategy I really liked was write about what you’ve read. I do this all the time in college. I even performed this strategy while reading Alexie Sherman. After each chapter, I would summarize what I read for that chapter, usually I would have a bullet point format. When my classmates perform their mini lessons on that book, I will be prepared because if I don’t remember something I can look back at my notes. Or if I have something that I want to share with the class, I can look back at my notes. Another strategy I do often is retelling the story, this really helps me grasp the text. No matter if it’s my parents, brothers, or my dogs; I will retell the story whether they want to hear it or not because it helps me as a reader.

As a teacher, I know reading is going to be tough for my students because it goes in one ear and out the other. However, Cris Tovani helped me better understand the frustration that my students will feel because he provided a story of his own experiences. This book will be on my shelf when I’m a teacher. It’s vital to put myself in my students shoes, and instead of getting upset at them for not understanding what they read, I need to support them and find different ways to collaborate understanding and reading together.