Ladies and gents... The very LAST thing I want to do is to be the 'reading police'. I don't want the atmosphere on the list to be one where everyone is afraid to post because they are afraid they'll get their hand slapped for being off topic. That is not my style, believe me. Every time I have to put a reminder up about the purposes of the listserv I get a knot in my gut. I hate it, really, because I know the off topic discussion is driven by a drive to learn and improve yourselves. This list is about open communication, about supporting each other and about listening to a variety of opinions and perspectives and learning from them. I have tremendous respect for the minds on this list...you all are on the 'cutting edge'...you are kid-focused and self motivated learners. I learn from you every single day... And so...when I post one of my gentle reminders...I sit back and hope that I haven't insulted anyone and pray that folks understand where I am coming from. Having said that, perhaps I need to clarify exactly that point...why I don't let the discussion linger too long off topic. We all know that there is tremendous power in focused discussion. Think about what Ellin is trying to get us to do in the teaching of reading...teaching less so we can teach for depth of understanding. If you ever talk to Ginger about how this list started, her vision was that through focused dialogue, we could learn from each other and have a profound impact on how children learn to comprehend and think. We get the depth of thinking, the great ideas, because we maintain focus. The list has grown and there are literally thousands of members who come here precisely for the level of the dialogue that has resulted from staying true to the vision. While there are only a few of us who are regular posters, there are many, many lurkers who come just to listen in. They come because of what we have made of this list, together. I can't tell you how many nationally known presenters I have heard refer to this listserv...we have a powerful reputation and we are affecting many, many classrooms beyond our own. The impact we have comes from the high levels of discussion which come in turn from staying true to the mission and vision behind this list. Renee and others are right...reading and understanding are a broad field...there is much that impacts reading comprehension. I am not saying we can only talk strategy instruction but I am going to ask that when you post, you make those connections to reading comprehension explicit. OUR vision...what we want for our students...deep reading and deep thinking in all subject areas...may be served best by keeping our discussion focused. Is this making sense? If you all want to start a separate discussion group related to understanding deeply in the content areas, I will be the first to sign up. Jennifer
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