One good memory I have of teaching in the elementary school is Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.). There was not an assigned time during the day, instead, we were encouraged to choose random times for the D.E.A.R. activity. Students loved the surprise of being released from their other schoolwork. They also loved getting comfortable with a book for some uninterrupted reading time. This allowed the students to choose their reading material and, I hope, instilled the habit of reading for pleasure every day.
I no longer teach, but I haven’t given up my own D.E.A.R. time. In fact, dropping everything to read is what I do best. Sometimes I’ll pick up a book, thinking I’ll read a couple of chapters, but I don’t look up again until the book is finished. I believe I could serve as the poster child for D.E.A.R.
Here are some of my recent D.E.A.R. reads:
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