Blog 6: Reading and Writing

"It appears that the ability to read and the ability to write manifest themselves at about the same time, but usually not at the same pace; language production always seems to lag behind language comprehension, even in adults," (Williams 152). If language production lags behind language comprehension, then does that mean a bunch of people are wandering around not really knowing what they are saying? Of course we have heard kids say, "Boobies!" or "Shit!", not knowing what they are really saying, but what about in adults? For children, we expect this behavior because it is associated with their age and place in society. It's even "cute" for a child to utter something funny or out of place. For adults, however, society is not so forgiving. If an adult were to use a racial slur or say something offensive, producing language, but not comprehending it, the result would be much different.

Totally switching gears, another quote that I sat and pondered was regarding reading motivation in children. "Even very bright children who lacks motivation may not begin to show significant gains in reading until late in the second grade. Writing normally will not begin to develop until sometime in the third grade," (Williams 153). Going into secondary English education, I will not be dealing with "beginner" readers to the same degree that an elementary education teacher would. However, I will still come in contact with students who lack motivation, and as a result will not achieve to their full potential, possibly even putting them below the proficiency target. The older a child gets, if they are not receiving the kind of help they need to be a successful reader, how greatly is their writing also being effected? If writing is developed after reading, then an 8th grader, reading on a 5th grade level will be writing on a 4th grade level, hypothetically? When it comes to motivation, any teacher worth his salt should employ any and all strategies possible to encourage and engage students in their learning. Nothing should hold a student back, not even a learning disability, from being a proficient and hopefully an excellent reader and writer.