Another month…another book read, or two, or three, or TEN! June has been my record setting month for reading, but not too long ago it wasn’t always like that.
Would you believe me if I told you my 8th grade reading teacher threatened me with graduation and dance privileges if I didn’t meet my AR goal? Maybe you are/were in the same boat: a non-reader. I was that kid that pretended to read. You know, the one who stares at the pages, flips them over occasionally while daydreaming about anything except reading. No reading program or incentive could motivate me. Unfortunately, the threat mentioned above was the only thing that did.
The same thing happened in high school and college, if reading textbooks and class novels was required, I’d do it begrudgingly. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t do it. I wasn’t a reader, nor saw myself ever becoming one. Then I became an elementary teacher. I was determined to make reading fun again!
Right before my first year of teaching kicked off my mom recommended reading a professional development called Play Like a Pirate. The words ‘Play’ and ‘Pirate’ stuck out, along with the Legos on the cover, and I was enticed. For the first time in my lifetime, I read it cover to cover in a day! I was excited to teach! I was so excited that I bought Teach Like a Pirate at a higher cost that same day because I wanted to read the book immediately. I had to be sick. This wasn’t like me to read on my own.
Then my first year started and my 3rd graders were avid readers. They met their school-set AR goals with ease and earned their rewards. Teaching is e-a-s-y. A year later I moved to Florida and was shell-shocked. These kids struggled to read. I saw a lot of myself in them. I tried to give them motivational speeches and incentives, but nothing worked. When a girl asked me what I was currently reading, I didn’t have an answer. I was embarrassed and needed to change.
The next summer, I drove up to North Carolina to attend a Scholastic Book Conference by myself. I was nervous, anxious, and hesitant. I wasn’t a reader and now I’m surrounding myself with book-obsessed-nerdy readers for 24 hours. Fast forward 24 hours…that conference changed my life. By surrounding myself with educators who had a passion for reading or desired one, they instilled it in me. By the end, you can bet I was in all the autograph lines waiting to have my new books autographed. I went drove home and started reading.
What I’ve learned: let your students see you reading and be knowledgeable about books. The years following I’ve done a few different things. I read to my kids daily no matter how challenging the day is (even on field trips). My students get at least 10 minutes to read daily too. (This gradually becomes their favorite part of the day.) I also have gathered books from donors using companies like Goodwill, Donors Choose, and friends/family. Have a class library so they can see books. Lastly, I carry a book with me everywhere. My class does get incentives, but honestly those are just a bonus when I can afford them or get them donated. They also love the teacher punishments: sliming their teacher, pieing teacher in the face, water balloon fight, and taping their teacher to a wall. But do whatever works! Incentives are great, but nothing beats a teacher who is excited about talking about books!
All those things work in the classroom, but what about at home? I have a large calendar that I use as a visual to keep me accountable. Every day I carve out 20 minutes or more in my day to read. It doesn’t always happen, but when it does, I notice my best days are when I’m spending a few minutes reading. A teacher donated a huge bookshelf that stores my growing collection. And of course, I have a never-ending Amazon list of books waiting to be bought.
For years, I struggled to read. It felt like a punishment. After studying best practices, surrounding myself with other readers, flipping my mindset, I now look forward to reading every day. I am now a reader and proud of it!
