Chapter 2

The main idea that stood out to me from Chapter 2 is Kylene Beers' struggle with George. He just couldn't "get it" when she tried to help him in reading. There have been many times in my life when I just couldn’t get something in school, but until now, I’ve never stopped to think about what it is that I didn’t understand. Now that I’ve actually thought about it, many different questions crossed my mind. George wasn’t able to say what he didn’t get when he was reading and I think that’s something very important for teachers to remember. The interact between George and Beers helped me to understand just how important it is for a teacher to recognize what exactly the student is struggling with even if they can’t say it themselves. I also liked how Beers talked about the stereotype of a struggling reader and the difference between a dependent reader and an independent reader. I think it’s really important that she drew attention to students who don’t fit the stereotype, but still are struggling readers. I also really liked that she pointed out that anyone can be a struggling reader if given the right text.