There is a madness to my methods, and the governor's office awarded me for it! (Affective Dimensions of Reading)

I won't try to fool anybody into believing that I don't have the time to read. I do. If I have time to watch a TV episode on my computer before bed, or have time to spend programming Christmas lights, I have time to read. But I don't read, or at least I don't read for enjoyment very frequently. Lack of time is my reason though, I don't have time to enjoy reading. Oh sure I could read for fifteen minutes or so, but that isn't enough time for me to really enjoy what I am reading. Right when I would start to be sinking into what I am reading, times up. I can't deal with that! When I read for enjoyment I want to sit down somewhere comfortable, and absorb the words. So mostly my reading comes when I am on a plane, on a road-trip (is somehow I am lucky enough to not be driving), or while camping. Situations where I can be guiltless for the time I am spending with my nose in a book.
When I was a child you could not tear me away from books. In that aspect I was like Brick in the TV show "The Middle". I was always reading everything. In kindergarten I would be in the back reading a book while the teacher was helping the class learn what sounds the different letters make. I didn't know the alphabet song, but I could read an entire book. Just as Shae had her flashlights confiscated after lights out at bedtime, so did I. Dad would get mad at me for trying to read by flashlight in the back of the station wagon (GASP! No seat belts!).
In later grades when the entire class was reading a book together out-loud I would get in trouble for reading ahead because I couldn't stand reading as slowly as the rest of the class because I would lose comprehension reading that slow. Something changed though. I cannot say that I blame reading assignments in later school years as a reason for my change of reading habits, I still enjoyed reading during those years. I have to say that my responsibilities changed. No longer was I only accountable for waking up on time, doing my homework then washing the dishes. I had to get a job, start taking care of a house, fix my car, meet social and church obligations, something about dating, etc. Are these excuses to not read? I can't say with a clear conscious that they completely are, instead I have let these other activities take a higher position of urgency than personal reading.
Where does this all fit in with my future classroom? I have to find ways to get my students to want to read about science and biology. On the surface these are high demands, but I feel it is an achievable goal. Lots of young adults fondly remember Bill Nye the Science Guy, and the Magic School Bus. Mythbusters is an extremely popular television show. Science can be fun and popular! Finding texts that they can find entertaining, or relevant to their own lives can increase their desire to read. Even if it has to be an assigned reading, the opposition can be decreased by making the readings as appealing as possible. Because students will be in my classroom at different reading levels, I don't have to assign the same texts to all my students. By adjusting the texts assigned as best I can to match a students reading ability, I can hopefully improve the way they perceive themselves as a reader, improving as the school year goes on. When I was a reading tutor I learned that the best way to improve a student's reading skill was to use texts that they found interesting. I was able to see each of my students realize on their own their increased ability to read. They saw their own skills improve, which excited them and led them to seek out more texts for our tutoring sessions.