While I appreciate Gallagher's unbridled enthusiasm for the game of baseball, I can't help but think that his opening metaphor is both reaching and completely arbitrary. Sure, reading can be likened to baseball in a broad, meaningless way. However, in the same arbitrary way, I can draw comparisons between reading and activities like baking pies or eating caramels. To wit:
"I enjoy eating caramels with my nephew. He loves all kinds of caramels, as do I. He, sadly, cannot properly appreciate the nuanced taste of MarieBelle French caramels as opposed to, say, a $1.99 box of Werther's. It's because he hasn't been taught how to appreciate caramels on a deeper level. I think many of our students suffer the same deficiency while reading."
See? It's easy. I can write a book now, too.
Gallagher also barely veils his condescending attitude for people who read on a superficial level, for enjoyment. He compares struggling high school readers to five-year-old girls who don't fully understand baseball. Such high school students could not notice what made the "shortstop and second baseman nervous" or the esoteric "secret sign" that players devise for use before every pitch (as it would apply to reading a text, that is).
To use his own metaphor against him, I have enjoyed watching baseball games on many occasions but possess little more than a fleeting knowledge of the game's subtle intricacies and "secret signs." Gallagher makes the assertion that reading something for enjoyment, and appreciating the surface level, is somehow inadequate.
On the other hand, we all want our students to reach their full potential, don't we? Although it's hard to look past Gallagher's contempt for the superficial reader, I agree that it would be wonderful for students to increase their potential for comprehension. While I think that reading for enjoyment and the more superficial elements is perfectly acceptable at times, it wouldn't hurt to have students who could do more.
The book's approach seems very accessible, and Gallagher's enthusiasm is palpable. I'm eager to see where he goes with this.
Sadly, we do have students who operate at this frustrational level with text, though they are not the majority. I think most of our students have at least a few of the tools they need for deeper reading, but they are (as might be baseball fans and caramel eaters) in varying stages of discovering this pleasure. It's tough to reconcile the differences in ability during a lesson, but I think the baseball metaphor and even the caramel metaphor are useful here. We have to remember that all of our students are able to enjoy reading at some level, even if it's listening to someone read to them. This is why we begin at the literal level and dig deeper. And as we dig, we develop new skills and reach new depths of understanding and enjoyment.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the best metaphor IS digging a hole. It is certainly enjoyable and comforting to stand on terra firma and see the sights. But there is also enjoyment in employing a metal detector and shovel to mine treasures. A certain amount of skill is required, and it is work. But it is work with the possibility of reward.
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