2007—a year of opportunity

Donna Swiniarski

During a week’s vacation between Christmas and New Year’s, I indulged in one of my favourite pastimes—reading fiction.

At the ATA office, there are always communications articles, curriculum journals and research papers to keep abreast of, and circulars, letters and e-mails to attend to. When I have a free evening at home, my interest in reading often wanes; thankfully, we have holidays and vacations. There’s something deliciously pleasurable in curling up in my favourite spot and reading a good dose of fiction.

My favourite works of fiction are by authors who craft just the right combination of words and weave magic into the stories they tell. Escaping into this magical world is part of the trip of reading. Authors Rosie Thomas, Lori Lansens and Audrey Niffenegger are at the top of my list right now. This Christmas, I read Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale, and marvelled at her always so-clever use of words: "I shivered on the stairs, yawned and stretched. Returning to myself, I found that my thoughts had been rearranged in my absence." Pure magic!

For many of us, our first reading teachers were our parents or preschool caregivers. I still remember one of my first trips to the town library in Trochu, Alberta, and I can visualize the row of books that my mother directed me to explore. If memory serves me well, I spent my first summer after Grade 1 engulfed in the Blackie series. That following September (and for years after), my teachers kept the joy of books alive for me. Another early memory is of being 9 or 10 and insisting that my parents subscribe to a series of Dr. Seuss books. The books came by mail, one a month for a year, and I’d read and reread them to my youngest siblings. To this day, I can still recite many of the books on cue. Perhaps that was the first influence on my career path to becoming an elementary school teacher.

It’s 2007—a whole new year of opportunities for teachers and readers alike. My teachers gave me the gift of reading, and I can’t help but believe that many of the children who passed through my classes felt the excitement that I felt about books. And even though they may have forgotten my name, perhaps today they are still inspired to read books and experience the same pleasures that reading gives me.

As this is the start of a new year, I have taken the liberty of using this editorial to explore my own thoughts on teaching, learning and reading. If you haven’t already done so, take time at the start of this new year to run through your inventory of teaching memories. Feel gratified to know that you’ve influenced tens, hundreds or even more students. What an incredible accomplishment!

Throughout 2007, let one of the current ATA public education messages trigger thoughts of your accomplishments every time you hear the words: "The Future. It’s why teachers teach."

I welcome your comments—contact me at donna.swiniarski@ata.ab.ca.