Showing Children That We Care About Their Literacy Learning

Abstract

Children and their teachers are more likely to achieve success when genuine caring is connected to literacy learning. This connection is important because it increases the chances of success across the curriculum and through the grades. Among the ways of demonstrating a caring attitude is to provide children with opportunities to make choices, to nurture their emotional and intellectual transactions with text, to help them use bibliotherapeutic literature to cope with personal problems, and to encourage the use of picture books for older children. When caring teachers and administrators support these and other approaches, they enjoy the realization that children they helped during the school year have demonstrated substantial growth and development, emotionally and academically.

Keywords:

• children, caring, literacy learning