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This isn’t unique to education, but ubiquitous in most occupations
Two, it’s easy to remember and easily understood by non-educators
Parents, for example, understand what we mean when we call a child a reluctant reader
Whereas terms like 504 or scaffolding or IEP are not as accessible upon first hearing them
It’s time for the expression to be closely examined and weighed
In order to redefine reluctant readers, we first have to understand who they are
Reluctant readers fall into two main categories: unwilling and unable
It’s important to recognize the distinct differences between these two
Unwilling readers are people who don’t want to read for a variety of reasons
Almost nothing is more unpleasant for a person with a still-developing brain than to sit still and
It’s possible that they weren’t given a choice of what to read
Being forced to read something, even if it might interest the reader once they got into it,
Then they start to identify as someone who’s not good at reading and develop negative self-talk
People who have learning disabilities such as dyslexia, ADHD, or oral/written language disorder may be reluctant
Or they might be people who fundamentally have the skills they need to read but don’t
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On the other hand, students who do meet eligibility criteria also get labeled with learning disabilities like
It might make developmentally-normal troublesome behaviors seem exaggerated causing the teacher to confuse the student with the
Sometimes the labels are unreliable or trendy (think TikTok diagnosing ADHD in adults)
Children cannot receive accommodations in school until they are labeled
Practically, federal and local funding for special education programs are based on categories of disabilities
They can give teachers a quick snapshot of the kind of support a student may need based
People need categories to be able to understand challenges students face and in order to organize their
A student with an ADHD diagnosis will be given more patience when they get out of their
Finally, labeling allows the person being labeled to change their perception of themselves and name specific challenges
As a society, we are moving toward a person-first adaption of labels, especially regarding disabilities
In education, we no longer say “disabled children” but instead “children with disabilities
” Instead of saying a person is autistic, we say they are a person with autism
Person first language lets people avoid the term “disabled” which can increase stigma around the word: disabled
Person first language limits their identity and implies they would be the same person without their disability,
Language is ever evolving, and we need to be conscientious of making sure we use terms that
John Spencer has written about flipping the term from “reluctant reader” to “reading reluctantly
Spencer goes so far as to say that there is no such thing as a reluctant reader
When I was a classroom teacher, I started every block with 20-30 minutes of silent sustained reading
I taught in a school that was primarily Black students who received free and reduced lunch
Exactly the type of student who is labeled “lazy” and “bad” by society
Without fail, every class, year after year, the students would read silently for 20-30 minutes
My philosophy was then, and still is now, that if you don’t think you’re a
I don’t have a definitive answer, but I do have some suggestions and believe that people
Spencer’s “reading reluctantly” is at the top of the list
I’ve found that people who struggle with learning know they struggle
So why not call them readers who struggle, rather than reluctant readers? We are not shocking them
Calling something what it is, shouldn’t have a negative connotation
We need to get away from the idea that difficulties signal inadequacy
I don’t read as fast as what is considered normal or average
” These are people who take their time because they know they are prone to making mistakes
They are readers who stop occasionally to make connections or take notes
They are careful in their selection in addition to their style of reading
Once they start it, they take care with each page, each paragraph, and each sentence
It’s time we reexamine the term “reluctant reader” because it is more problematic than it is
Instead, let’s give readers the opportunity to approach reading gently, carefully
Let’s provide these readers with the care that they need in order to thrive, fall in