Did YOUR School Teachers Read Aloud to Your Class?

[lailasmum]

Not that I remember. At secondary school we did the thing where in your class you'd take it in turns to read a page or two from the book we were studying. 

[dirty ethel rackham]

I don't have many memories of what was taught when as a kid.  But, I do remember when I was in 5th and 6th grade, whenever we couldn't go out for recess due to weather, Mrs. D would read aloud to us.  I fell in love with A Wrinkle in Time, James and the Giant Peach, and, well, reading in general.  She really opened the door to reading for pleasure for me.  That became a lovely escape from bullying at school and some turmoil at home (4 older siblings - teens during the early 70s.) 

[TGHEALTHYMOM]

My 5th/6th grade split class teacher read aloud: "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory"

 

We had to read aloud in 12 grade English class: Shakespeare, Beowolf and other classics

[Aurelia]

Some of my teachers did read to us. A lot of them didn't, but I was in the gifted class for LA, so I think they expected us not to "need" it. I think the last full book I listened to was in 6th grade, but I could be wrong. I do have fond memories of listening to my 4th grade homeroom teacher read aloud - she really made the books come alive. I have fond memories of The Indian in the Cupoard and The View from the Cherry Tree, and audio books like Hank the Cowdog. It was one of my first experiences with actually enjoying listening to someone read aloud. (My mom read to me when I was little, but I hated it. I asked her to stop as soon as I could read independently. I hate to say that, but some people just do not read aloud well.) My 3rd grade homeroom teacher had a "listening" station where you wore headphones and listened while following along in the book, and the librarian at my elementary school read picture books to the whole class during our weekly library visits. 

Students were not required or asked to read aloud to the class, except for periodic reading from textbooks. In my high school English classes we read the plays aloud, but that was it. Because I was one of the better students, my one of my 7th grade English teachers (we had two, for some reason) asked me to record myself reading picture books on audio tape (during class! complete with one of those hotel bells to ring whenever it was time to turn the page!) for some kindergartners at one of the local elementary schools. That was fun.

[Knittinfarmgirl]

I only recall my fourth grade teacher reading to us. She read a lot of books that year and all of us just adored her. She read the Fudge books and Ramona, but also things like Where The Red Fern Grows and Wait for Me, Watch for Me, Eula Bee.

 

My favorite year of elementary school.

[Pegs]

Our teachers read to us from K-6. Around grade two I was identified as a possible substitute, and used to continue reading, sitting in the teachers' chair, while she'd run off for bathroom breaks, or to prepare lessons for later.

[Penelope]

I had teachers that read aloud quite a bit through fifth grade.

 

After that there was some reading aloud by other students some middle school years. One year in high school we read aloud a lot of the plays we were assigned for world literature.

[FO4UR]

I remember 3 teachers reading aloud, 2nd, 5th and 8th grade English.  

 

 

We did Shakespeare plays as a class in high school.

[sewingmama]

I remember being read aloud to by my third grade teacher. I also remember that when she did it she would get one student to massage her shoulders and one student to massage her feet LOL. I never once did it because I thought it was weird but she never had any shortage of students who volunteered.

 

After that I don't really remember much. In 6th grade the teacher used to read us Bible stories.. not for religion classes...but just because she thought they were good literature.

 

My 12th grade teacher used to read aloud to us a bit...especially the Shakespeare stuff but she had a flair for the dramatic and I think that she didn't like that when we read them aloud as a class we were totally butchering her favourite plays LOL.

[MerryAtHope]

Yes! I remember Mr. Hagar reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle, and From the Mixed Up Files... in 5th grade. Loved being read to in class! Especially if it was a hot day--sometimes teachers would turn out the lights and let us rest our heads on our desks while they read. So peaceful.

 

As students, we read-aloud all through grade school I remember. 

[Korrale]

Yup. Pretty much all my teachers from preschool to year 7 read to us. It was always after big lunch. Reading aloud stopped for the most part when I went to highschool in year 8. A few teachers read with us. I remember my year 11 teacher reading To kill a Mocking Bird with us. And various English teachers read aloud when we covered short stories, Shakespeare, or various poetry.

[wallingjan]

The only year I remember being read to is 5th. She read Anne MacCaffreys "Dragon Song" while we were waiting for the buses. It turned me into a lifelong fantasy and scifi fan. I was always glad to be on the last bus and felt bad for the kids that left earlier.

[amazzie]

My teachers read aloud until sixth grade. We never had to read aloud in elementary, but I went to a SUNY lab school, so it wasn't a typical school. In public junior and senior high we did have to read aloud in French and English classes.

[VeritasMama]

I just found The Boxcar Children on Project Gutenberg after reading the responses, we are going to read it aloud when school starts in September. Thanks to everyone that shared, this was an interesting thread.

[Wheres Toto]

I don't remember being read to in school but I remember going around the room having the students read in turns.  I always ended up reading ahead and looking like an idiot when it was finally my turn because I had no idea where we were supposed to be.

 

My daughter school had parents come in and read to them in middle school.  I went in and read from The Outsiders.