The most shocking thing for me was seeing, in writing, how many of these strategies I use unconsciously while reading. I never can point to one thing that helps me comprehend what I read, it's just something I have always done well. I still can't point to one thing to explain why I love to read or why I an able to understand what I have just read, but I now have an idea and that is a great beginning point.
I love that she overemphasizes that we are all teachers of reading. I think it's highly important that the skill of reading be further enhanced as a student grows, and, in fear of this turning into a summary I'll be brief, too many teachers do approach reading at the higher levels from the idea his or her student should be able to read and read quickly what he or she has assigned.
If I may hang onto one, crucial piece of advice Tovani offers, it is that we should teach what we enjoy reading. I won't ever attempt to teach "Old Man and the Sea" in a high school because I haven't enjoyed my exposure to it, but I would teach "Brave New World" because I highly enjoy it. My two favorite teachers in my education to this point were both English teachers who ignited a passion in me to read because I saw that they loved what we were reading. That doesn't mean I always enjoyed what we read, but I did read it if for no other reason than to argue (read as "discuss") its merits.
I agree with Tovani that it is one of the best ways to excite students to read because it worked on me.
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