Do you ever stop to think about the chapters of your “reading life”?
We’ve all got them. What are the highlights of your chapters?
It’s been a while since I’ve thought about my reading life, let alone written a new chapter. That is, until now.
This season is providing time and space to reflect. It’s giving me confidence to take action.
My Reading Life: Chapter 1
“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” – Margaret Fuller
Some of my earliest childhood memories include being surrounded by words: rich and colorful storytelling, adults who value words, written and spoken, and of course, books. I read nightly bedtime stories and taught early and often to borrow books from the public library. At 10 years of age, I’d ride my bicycle to meet the local public library’s summer bookmobile, which uncoincidentally was eventually filled with books from my favorite authors and genres. Working at the public library as a high school student, I read nearly as many books as I was responsible for reshelving. As a teacher, I began to remember our classroom library, which I made sure was stocked with more books than there was bookshelf space to hold them. As a teacher leader, I simultaneously pursued certifications in literacy and school leadership. Decades later, as a parent, I was afforded opportunities to “spoil” my own children with the gifts of words, like I once was. I remained a voracious lifelong reader, especially of certain topics and genres. I knew books made me better for others.
I recognize how fortunate I am to have grown up like this and to have circumstances that have helped me sustain an active reading life. This has driven me to be a “reading principal,” discussing books with anyone willing to engage. It’s my responsibility to model being a lifelong reader, create space for others to share, and for students to explore their own reading lives.
My Reading Life: Chapter 2
“The comeback is always stronger than the setback.” – Unknown.
This became a mantra as our school communities courageously faced, navigated, and conquered myriad challenges of global pandemic times. Priorities shifted from “getting lost in a good book” to ensuring students had resources to meet basic human needs. What educators “had to do” replaced what we “got to do.” Like so many, I found myself leading a team focused on others’ health, safety, and wellness. It wasn’t only a top priority; it was the only priority. I was and am fortunate.
The reading life I once knew changed suddenly and drastically. I felt constantly distracted. I had difficulty sustaining attention on any reading materials besides critical information to aid our team’s focus on doing what’s best for students.
In quieter moments, I’d try losing myself in a book but found I just couldn’t. I was not alone. The more I spoke with others, the more this seemed to be a common challenge. We were in survival mode. After a while, we wondered if or when we’d return to more typical times.
Sometimes, we sensed a slow crawl, walk, and occasional run toward the comeback.
We wondered, when was it that we’d return to doing what we “get to do”?
My Reading Life: Chapter 3
“Mood follows action.” – Rich Roll
At the end of another school year (our first with sustained typical routines), I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of Laura Robb’s latest book,Increase Reading Volume: Practical Strategies That Boost Students’ Achievement and Passion for Reading. While it was among an ambitious stack of books I’d set out to read, it quickly rose to the top of the stack, becoming the literacy masterclass I didn’t know I needed.
In one of the first sections that resonated with me as a lifelong reader, Robb emphasized the importance of “keeping in touch with your reading life.”
She explains, “A personal reading life enables you to experience the power of visualizing as a path to understanding, the need to talk to someone about a book resonating with you, and that sometimes, reading can be challenging work. Your enthusiasm for and engagement in reading can rub off on students as they choose books they want to and can read, ensuring they will be engaged” (Robb, 2022).
These are precisely the words I needed to reignite my purpose for reading.
My next steps became clear.
My Reading Life: Chapter 4
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”
– James Clear
First, I listed books I’d been meaning to read, reread, or give as gifts. I visited the public library, collected gift cards I’d received to make purchases, and splurged a bit at bookstores. I made an agreement with myself to read every day – a certain number of pages or a certain number of minutes, whichever came first. I’d use two bookmarks, one marking my starting point and the other my ending point for each reading period. I’d keep a calendar, making an X each time I read. Most days, I met my goal. Some days. I didn’t. But I never felt the shame of failure, only the opportunity to try again the next day. Instead, I said to myself I’d never miss two days in a row, marking off two days’ worth of reading, often meeting or exceeding that goal. I positioned books wherever they’d be most accessible. Seeing a book next to my workout clothes, the coffee pot, or my car passenger seat were all regular reminders of my commitment to daily reading.
To date, I’ve read more words, pages, and chapters than I have in many seasons. I’m finding each book I read is often replaced by two on my “to read” list. There’s a good chance I’ll never finish my entire stack. This renewed habit gives me the confidence to talk with others about exploring the next chapters of their reading lives. Books are making me better. Books make us better.
It’s All About the Books: How to Create Bookrooms and Classroom Libraries That Inspire Readers (2018, 21), authors Landrigan and Mulligan state, “The classroom library is the home of the class’ reading community . . . . Its primary role is building a literacy community in each classroom and ensuring that each student is a member” (21).
Classroom Libraries are Essential
A classroom library is often the hub of the classroom. According to the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), “All students must be able to access, use, and evaluate information in order to meet the needs and challenges of the twenty-first century….Reading in all its dimensions – informational, purposeful, and recreational – promotes students’ overall academic success and well-being.(Position Statements: Statement on Classroom Libraries, 2017).” Books are often arranged in easy-to-navigate categories such as favorite authors, fiction and nonfiction, genres, themes, and topics that relate to across-the-content area reading. Shelves are arranged to showcase books students want to read and ones the teacher has researched and knows will meet the needs of the readers in the classroom. A well-stocked classroom library will give all students access to relevant, engaging texts (fiction and nonfiction) and magazines that represent their diverse identities and reading tastes.
The Top Ten Benefits of Classroom Libraries
Students’ motivation and engagement increases by encouraging voluntary and recreational reading in school and outside the school setting.
A wide range of reading materials that reflect reading abilities and interests of the class is at your students’ fingertips.
Choice in self-selecting reading materials for self-engagement is a key factor.
Enhanced opportunities for assigned and recreational reading encourage students to bookshop often.
Immediate access to texts will keep reading a top priority in the classroom community.
Classroom libraries can personalize book choice that reflects the students’ favorite authors, interests, and genres within the classroom.
Teachers can curate the library to introduce new authors and genres with a comprehensive assortment of books that support individual reading, book club reading, inquiry projects, and classroom discussions about current topics in our students’ world outside of school.
By having a voice in what materials will be in the library as well as how the library is organized and arranged, students have myriad opportunities to create a space for books within their classroom they want to use and will use.
As books are weeded and replaced, these books become available for students to select and keep. Book ownership often increases reader engagement and skills. Having books in the home is an important part of raising and sustaining a student’s reading identity.
Reading widely and often builds students’ vocabulary and background knowledge, giving them a chance to use their reading strategies to make meaning of texts across the curriculum.
A Classroom Library Collection Reflects the Community Members
Texts can provide a sense of belonging for all students. When books reflect the cultures and experiences of the readers in your classroom, they provide a welcome experience and allow readers to connect to what they are reading on a more personal level. When the books in our libraries are inclusive and socially conscious, students develop awareness, empathy, and compassion for others by learning about cultures and customs they may not experience in their own community. Books can also create opportunities to celebrate cultures and experiences that are like and different from their own. If classroom libraries contain books that reflect the world we live in, students have the opportunity to see themselves as a part of this world, learning how to navigate and participate in a global community. Listen to Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop talk about windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors here: Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors
Curating a classroom library that is timely and relevant takes time and effort on your part. Websites such as We Need Diverse Books, Colorin Colorado, and Jane Addams Peace Association are three places to start. Be sure to use NCTE’s journals (Language Arts and Voices from the Middle) and ILA’s The Reading Teacher, which regularly highlight new texts. An important resource will also be your school and local librarian, but always try to be the first reader of books you add to your classroom collection.
How to Highlight the Books in Your Library
Highlighting the books within your library will build an excitement for more books in your library. As the teacher you can promote books you think your students will enjoy based on what you know about the readers in your classroom and your knowledge of new titles. Getting students to promote a favorite book can ignite an excitement for a title, book series, genre, or topic that will ensure the book is read by their peers.
Book Blurbs written by students and placed inside the front covers of books are often a welcome surprise. Students share their opinions as well as a short blurb on a 3×5 card and place the recommendation/blurb inside the front cover. Students sign their work. This allows readers to share ideas and discuss the text later. Students can also place sticky notes directly on the cover with a short recommendation (i.e. If you like eerie books that will keep you awake at night, you have to read this book!)
Consider creating a “if you liked this book… try this next…” shelf. This allows students who enjoyed a genre or series the opportunity to try something similar yet different. It can help expand the readers’ reading repertoire and help build new reading interests. Your school librarian can help you gather books and can give you newer titles.
Book Talks given by students introduce books and create an excitement for reading. Research by Williams and MacDonald (2017) shows that peer recommendation is a powerful way to get kids to read. Welcome to Reading Workshop: Structures and Routines that Support All Readers offers examples and formats you can use to help students book talk in your classroom.
Book Reviews can be modeled by the teacher and simply displayed on a bulletin board or on the class website. Students can write a review for extra credit or in place of certain assignments that are designated by you as possibilities where students can substitute a book review. Some students may choose to post a review on Amazon, GoodReads, or other public venues.
Creating special displays once a month to spotlight an author, new books, a specific genre, or a specific topic. Here’s a chance to highlight books to grab your students’ attention. Nonfiction displays are valuable – highlight books about climate change, space travel, and immigration.
Supporting Summer Reading with Your Library
Reading is probably the most important thing kids can do in the summer. There are many summer reading programs offered by local public libraries. There are summer reading camps and online summer reading programs, too. So, how can you help your students continue to read over their vacation in ways that other programs may not be able to do?
First of all, no one knows your students better than you do. Build summer readers by helping them choose a book from your classroom library that they cannot possibly put down. To accomplish this task, make sure your library collection has multiple copies so best friends can both choose to sign out the same book. Your library should be home to many series books. What happens when you read the first book of a series and love it? Will you look for the sequel? Reading books in a series helps students be successful. They get to know the characters, how they react, how the plot goes, and all that knowledge helps them read the next book, and the one after that. Before they know it, they’ve polished off two or three books. Wow! Encourage students to form summer book clubs and partnerships – The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Harry Potter. Sometimes, a benefit to a series may be that there’s a movie or two about the book. A summer movie night after the book is read – possibly to be enjoyed by family and/or friends!
Help your students set a goal for summer reading before the end of the school year. Perhaps some students want to explore a new genre such as science fiction or poetry. Some students may set a goal pertaining to how many books they read or how many minutes per day will be devoted to reading. You can provide easy access by creating a sign-out system and letting your students choose one, two, or more books to take home over the summer.
Final Thoughts
A classroom library can be the hub of your community. It has the potential to buzz with excitement when books are carefully chosen and strategically displayed. So often, it seems like the teacher is the curator/owner of the space. Yet when we hand over the responsibility to our students, the space becomes something they own and want to use. Inviting students to suggest book titles based on their interests and expertise will help diversify your collection. Letting students create spaces around the classroom to display books and organize and label the shelves in a meaningful way for them will help your library appeal to the entire community. A library is more than just a corner of books; it can be a place to sit and quietly read for research purposes or pleasure. Ask your students to help design a space they would find comfortable and inviting.
Stop and Reflect:
Is your library being used? Do students utilize the classroom library to get reading material for pleasure? For research?
What steps can you take to make your classroom library a place students want to use?
Imagine entering a classroom where some students are working in small groups, others in partnerships, and some independently. There is a low but lively hum of students’ voices. Perhaps they are making plans for how to show their learning to the rest of their classroom community. Some might be negotiating the meaning of a text. Maybe they are conferring with another student about a learning goal. As all of this is happening, the teacher is moving freely through the classroom, keenly aware of how the space is functioning. Classroom supplies, tools, and charts are thoughtfully set up to provide easy access to all learners. The library is central to the function of the room and is reflective of students’ identities and interests. This classroom is a classroom built for agency.
Agency is one of those ubiquitous terms in education. It seems to be everywhere, it is part of every presentation, and yet, when pressed to define it, its meaning is somewhat elusive. In Peter Johnston’s seminal book, Choice Words, he defined agency as, “Children should leave school with a sense that if they act, and act strategically, they can accomplish their goals. I call this feeling a sense of agency.”
Johnston’s book, Choice Words, lent legitimacy to the authentic approaches to teaching and learning we believe in. Having a sense of agency holds the promise to empower all to learn with a sense of agency because our work matters, and everyone has the potential to make a positive impact. We believe agency makes it possible for learning to be joyful and celebrated by everyone in the learning community. In our book, WIRE for Agency Four Simple Moves that Transfer Learning, we expanded on Johnston’s definition: “Agency is a belief system that says your actions can and will make an impact. Students who exhibit agency feel valued; they operate with choice and a sense of freedom. They keep learning and trying to achieve because they have conviction that their work matters.”
Access, Language, and Choice: Three Core Beliefs to Sustain Agency
There are three core beliefs that sustain and nurture agency in the classroom. Giving access, careful deliberation for language, and offering choice are common beliefs shared by many teachers. However, these beliefs become even more powerful when used as a lens for agency:
Access: Students get what is needed (independence, additional support, and time) to think.
Language: Teachers use language as a vehicle to foster safety, empathy, equity, and trust.
Choice: Students are given a choice to decide content, planning, strategy, and people to work with.
Realizing agency for teachers and students may be only one or two small tweaks away. One possible way to focus this work is to reflect on one aspect of the classroom environment. Let’s use the classroom library as an example:
Access: Determine if the reading materials in the library are reflective of the students in the class. Some questions to evaluate access might be: “Do the text bands match the reading readiness of the students in this classroom?” “Do the books match their reading identities in terms of culture or interests?”
Language: Determine if there is evidence of student voice within the library. Some questions to ask students might be: “Do the categories of the bins make sense to you?” “How can a person find a book they are able to read by themselves?” “What is the best part of the library? Why?” “How do you select a book for your book bin?” “How can the library be improved?”
Choice: Determine if the classroom library is open-ended for student participation. Managing the library and book selection has traditionally been under the purview of the teacher. If you give students some choice for book selection, this small library becomes an important step towards agency. Giving students some choice for how the space will be used and managed is another step toward agency. Some questions to ask might be: “Is there evidence of student choice to influence in the classroom library?” If yes, “What is it?” If no, “What can be shifted to include more choice?”
For the purpose of this post, we used the classroom library as an example, but there are many aspects of the classroom environment that can be a mediator for agency. Here is a checklist that might be a useful tool to start this work.
Closing Thoughts
An agentive classroom does not have to be an imaginary place. Many classrooms already have a lot of what it takes to grant access to agency for learning. If you are tired of students asking for supplies, then try moving supplies where they can be readily accessed. If you are tired of students asking for clarifying directions, try using an anchor chart that students help to create using language they understand. If you are tired of students saying, “I’m done.” try giving them choice for what to do next. These small but significant tweaks will make your teaching and their learning even more meaningful if you give it a go. When we teach students to think flexibly about their classroom environment, it is but a stepping stone for them to challenge other “fixed” spaces in society. Life-long learners who are critical thinkers are who is needed for a better tomorrow. So start teaching for a sense of agency today.
There are certain days when February 2020 seems like it was yesterday, but others where it seems to be a lifetime ago. Looking back is a surreal experience. Effective August 1st, I had been appointed to begin as Superintendent of Schools in North Rockland, a diverse district 35 miles north of Manhattan. I was excited to be attending my first New York State Superintendent’s conference in Albany, NY. I was experiencing feelings of excitement and nerves as my boss Ileana, the Superintendent I was replacing, introduced me to folks, shared insights, encouragement, and often laughed at what was to be her last conference as the North Rockland Superintendent. Almost as an afterthought, she suggested we attend a pop-up session scheduled on the final day of the conference that discussed what at the time seemed like just another worst-case scenario about a potential threat, the Corona-19 virus. Little did I know that in just two short weeks, our schools would be closed for the remainder of the year, and education, politics, health care, entertainment, and culture would never again look the same.
When we first closed, I felt similar to the musicians who refused to stop entertaining passengers as the Titanic sank. The world seemed to be ending, but our team of administrators and clerical staff were busy assembling and copying work packets for students to complete while this Corona issue was worked out. I am sure we all lost a few years off of our lives those days by breathing in the fumes from the Lysol we were incessantly spraying on the packets and throughout the office, or maybe it was just me spraying that stuff. How did I get here? An Assistant Superintendent for Instruction who had, throughout his career, advocated for meaningful, thought-provoking assignments, basically the exact opposite of what we were spending our time doing. I was completely shocked when the lines to receive these packets rivaled those for Cabbage Patch dolls circa 1985. What I didn’t realize at the time was that a shift was happening. In a time of uncertainty, schools were becoming more: more important, more volatile, more controversial, more to blame, more to praise, just more, fair or not.
Long gone are the days of children going off to school, sitting in rows, and listening as intently as possible to the directions of school personnel for fear of parental repercussions. The Pandemic served as an accelerant to what had already been shifting. Schools were and are continuing to become the hub of their communities.
Parents are looking for answers in a desperate time in which one in three female teenagers have had suicidal thoughts and three in five young people have persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness (as reported by the CDC in February of 2023.)
Schools have become the battleground for a political agenda in which extremists on the left and the right pontificate about their political views via social media platforms with vigor, passion, and bravado due to their anonymity and lack of consequences. Districts and communities are charged with staying united as those with a political agenda aim to divide.
Most importantly, though, schools have become institutions of healing as parents, students, and staff recover from the not-always-apparent trauma most of us are trying to manage.
Schools have changed, and the debates are no longer about which teams are getting the best uniform, who my teacher is, and whether my child is learning and growing as a student and a person. Now district leaders must be ready to debate the merits of the books in our libraries or should we have armed guards. Questions arise about why schools have the audacity to present students with all sides of an issue, particularly ones in which parents are sure they are on the right side of history.
It is scary to think we are living in a world that is all too similar to the ones described in books I read as a middle schooler, such as Fahrenheit 451. The challenge is to provide students with the skills necessary to formulate their own opinions, participate in civil discourse, listen to others, and be open to the possibility that an opinion different from theirs may have merit. Many citizens long for a time when they didn’t know or care who their neighbors voted for. Today, we seem to be heading toward a place in which politics serves as another avenue to foster hate.
These are scary times, but I have hope. The Pandemic has left educators with tools they may not have acquired in such a short time. We are now more efficient and creative than ever before. We have become pros on virtual platforms and have embraced our role as teachers, cheerleaders, mentors, and supporters. We have been forced to examine what is truly a priority in our courses, classes, and grade levels. We now know it is essential that we meet kids where they are at, and more and more of us understand now what Rick Wormelli has been teaching us for years, that what is Fair isn’t Always Equal.
We have a daunting task ahead of us. We must protect what is great about our schools and our Country’s education system without the fear of change. We must be willing to adjust and overhaul. Our schools should no longer be exemplary at developing factory workers. Instead, we need to focus on developing thinkers, problem solvers, and leaders who embrace service. We must protect democracy, civility, and knowledge. It can be overwhelming at times, but as I spoke about while delivering a TEDX talk, “If not us who?”
Recently I have discovered my motivation, my fuel when feeling down, my why as (Simon Sinek says), is working directly with students. Sure, it sounds cliche, but why else get into education but to work with young people? The inconvenient truth is the further you move away from the classroom, the easier it becomes to forget that “why,” to become out of touch and disconnected.
It seems counterintuitive that those with the biggest influence on how young people spend their formative years often have little authentic interactions with those very young people they are responsible for guiding into adulthood. For me, the solution is working directly with kids. It can be by covering classes, reading to students, or leading student groups. Without fail, when I work with kids, my day becomes brighter, and why I chose this field becomes clear. I would encourage all educators to work with students in a more authentic and direct manner. My work with students has been the best professional development since moving to a central office position and now the Superintendent’s seat.
I had only been on the job for a few weeks when two young black women who attended our high school asked to meet with me. These passionate and articulate student leaders were angry, frustrated, and scared. We were in the middle of the shutdown, and despite the computer barrier between us, I could feel their energy and heightened desire to do something about their feelings of frustration around the injustices that the George Floyd murder shined a light on. Out of that initial meeting, the student group “Voice” was born. Nilah and London, as President and Vice President of Voice, developed an application via Google Meet that was distributed to the student body.
The introduction to the application is below:
Voice will be comprised of a diverse group of students in grades 9-12. The purpose of the group will be to provide a venue for students to be heard and to offer suggestions for making our school a better place for ALL students! Dr. Felicello, Nilah, and London Blenman will facilitate monthly meetings that will allow the group to discuss issues such as racial inequity in North Rockland, develop skills on how to make effective change and work together to implement initiatives that will make our school a more inclusive place.
Due December 23rd, 2020
Space is limited, so please submit your application ASAP
Black, Latinx and POC are highly encouraged to join!
After reviewing applications, approximately 20 students were accepted, and the work began! We meet monthly for approximately two hours to learn from each other, grow together, and embrace the beauty and strength of diversity. Ultimately, our goal is to make our school a more accepting, welcoming place for all students, regardless of their background or how they identify.
Voice Mission: We are a group of diverse North Rockland High Schools students who wish to amplify the thoughts and ideas of the student body. Our group hopes to raise awareness by educating those in our school community and the community at large to embrace the diversity of thought, increase empathy and unify the citizens of North Rockland.
Life as a Superintendent is one in which you rarely have time to catch your breath, so as you can imagine, I rarely have the time to dedicate to VOICE and other student groups. However, I find I care more about the activities I plan with my students than the adult lead sessions I run. I refuse to cancel these meetings or just go through the motions no matter how much I have on my plate, and for good reason. My wife says I seem to be my happiest after working with “my kids” and “light up” when I talk about them. That is certainly true, but what she doesn’t see is how much I learn from them, how much I respect them, and how much they can accomplish when they are empowered.
I truly believe we are moving the needle, raising awareness, and projecting their truth. Young people, like adults, can do great things, have creative ideas, and look at the world more refreshingly than we do as adults.
I am proud of the work we have done, such as our faculty literature awareness initiative (linked here) and District policy and procedure adjustments that were driven by these students as well as the speakers we have brought to our staff and students. I am also excited about the projects we are working on, such as an HBCU-specific college fair, partnering with The Center for Safety and Change, and a High School wellness center for students, to name a few.
While these initiatives are wonderful and something we are all proud of, the relationships I have built with these students and their families, the lessons they have taught this middle-aged white male who grew up in a non-diverse region of upstate New York, and the thought-provoking discussions, sometimes controversial that our work has to lead to, have been life and career changing for me. Thanks to these students, I am a more knowledgeable, empathetic, more in-touch educator who is determined to improve our schools and provide our students with all the experiences and tools they deserve so they can pursue their dreams.
There have been bigger changes to how we do school over the past three years than any time in the past 100 years. We’d do things differently now, and it’s obvious that more adjustments are needed. I suspect the answers we are looking for are right there, an untapped resource that can drive school reform, and that resource is the students we are responsible for.
I encourage all educators who want to improve, who want to make schools better for kids, who want to bring us together instead of driving us apart, to work with kids in a different capacity. Trust them, listen to them, get to know them, and work with them as partners. You may feel like you do not have the time, I would argue that if we are serious about schools becoming the pillars of our communities, beacons of strength and fairness, then our schools should be dedicated to helping students become the best version of themselves, If we are serious about school reform, the time to start is now!
