We have be using the term "deep reading" to refer to reading with purpose, re-reading, reading with a pen in hand, or what I typically call "reading." I suppose if there is such a thing as "deep reading" the opposite must be called "shallow reading," which could mean skimming, speed reading, or seeing the words but ignoring the meaning. I tend to deep read everything, which is not meant to be a brag. Really its a complaint. I can't read something without taking my time and re-reading sentences again and again. It sometimes takes me over an hour to read 10 pages. I don't mind this, because I tend to get a lot out of what I read.
The irony here is that the readings on deep reading ended up coming the same weekend that I was away for a wedding. Well, my wife was away for a wedding. I was mostly watching our son or driving the entire weekend. Either way, this lead me to have to "shallow read" our articles advocating for "deep reading." I consider myself very responsible and always try to go above and beyond the expectations of my teachers, employers, students, and colleagues but in this case I think I fell a little short. This made me think about our students. How often do they come to school after "shallow reading" or not reading at all, even when they had the best of intentions?
Lets take a typical school day for one of our students: classes end at 3:30, go from class to practice which ends at 5:30, travel home over the next 30 minutes give or take, take a shower at 6 and sit down for dinner with the family at 6:30, dinner ends at 7. We advocate that students get a good night's sleep so they should really be in bed by 10. Now this student has 3 hours to do all their homework for their seven teachers. Lets assume that on any given night half the teachers would assign 10 pages of reading each. That means the student get 35 page of academic reading (I stress academic because it is harder and slower to read something for work/school than for pleasure). I mentioned before that I can take over an hour to read 10 pages. That means this student would have three and a half hours of deep reading and only three hours to do it. Bear in mind, this student did not watch any television, have a conversation with friends, go for a relaxing walk, or play with a sibling. To get to this point they worked from 8 am to 10 pm and still found themselves 30 minutes short of time. Now, instead of having 35 pages of reading imagine giving students double. Is the lack of deep reading a problem of knowing how to do it or just not having the time?
your introspective practice here of seeing yourself in your students is commendable. From my perspective, it appears that your experience of "shallow reading" and reflecting on the daily routine of a students and putting yourself in it has already made you a better teacher. A teacher who is human, recognizes their own humanness, and empathizes with others in similar situations makes them a better teacher. You instantly become approachable, compassionate, understanding, and, well, human. Just those qualities alone make you a better teacher. A teacher who is knowledgeable in their discipline and passionate can only take you so far if you are unapproachable and impervious to empathy. The combination of wisdom, passion, and humanness takes you to a whole new level.
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