Book selection

For my LLSS 538 class, I chose to read the book Proust and the Squid. 

I find this book particularly intriguing because it is based on three areas of knowledge: the early history of how we, as humans, learned to read, from the time of the Sumerians to Socrates; the developmental cycle of how we have learned how to read and increased the sophisticated ways over time; and the science and “why” of what happens when the brain can't learn to read.

Through my educational journey of obtaining a Master’s degree in Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies, I feel like my knowledge of language acquisition, strategies to get students to read, cultural prospective, educational law, and assessments has increased in breadth and depth. However, what happens when students can’t read? If they can read the words, and not make meaning? Then, what am I supposed to do, as a teacher? What happens in their brains? In Wolf’s book, she dissects my state of inquiry.

There is also a personal reason behind my book choice. Through biased opinion, I have the coolest, sweetest, and craziest (in a good way) brother in the entire world. He was born the year I was in Kindergarten. I think his age gap has something to do with my reading development. More on this later.

My brother, Robbie Aulbach (Ain't he cute?!)

I went through my elementary and secondary education without trouble, in terms of, reading development, reading comprehension, and reading proficiency. I can remember even being placed in Honors-level courses and being at the top of my class. But, through all of my educational success, my brother struggled.

During his childhood, several different issues arose. Around the age of eight, he had an eye surgery to correct a problem with his eye muscles. They were weak. When he would watch television, he would tilt his head in a way to make the act of watching easier on his eyes. After the surgery, he was strongly encouraged to read with a blue transparency on top of the text. (I still would like to read the implications behind this technique.) Although, he was never truly diagnosed with any specific disabilities, malfunctions, or whatever you would want to call it; he continually fell behind in school.

In his last IEP that was written his senior year, it was listed as him having short-term memory, sensory, and comprehension issues. In the classroom, it would complicate tasks like; copying from the board to the paper, remembering his assignment, test-taking, and being able to build on information given from previous classes. All in all, I find it to be really intriguing that many of these problems held themselves at bay in his mathematics classes, but, ballooned in his other courses. When I spoke to my mom about this book and my brother, she said “He blows me away how he can read now.” Now, at the age of 22, he is enrolled at the Sarasota County Technical Institute in Venice, Florida. At the end of the 2013-2014 school year, he will graduate and take his Journeyman’s test. He often calls me and tells me about his successes on test and class work. I have never heard him be so excited about school!

Again, it makes me question, what really happens in the brain when we read? Hopefully, this book, blogging about it, and your comments will help me figure this all out.