The weeks leading up to the opening of school are my favorite. I’d spend hours in my classroom adding new books and magazines to the library. I’d stack readers’ notebooks on shelves and place students’ writing folders in plastic crates. I’d meet new teachers and chat with friends.
Each year, before students arrived, I’d reflect on the past year and challenge myself to make changes that supported students. During the first two weeks of school, when I spent time getting to know students and establishing workshop routines, I would share my reflections with them. I wanted them to weigh in on these changes, suggest ways to improve them and offer new ideas.
One year I told eighth-grade students that I wanted to set up a quiet place where students could read and work undisturbed; a corner space for collaboration; a table for student-to-student conferences. When I shared my ideas, they liked them, but they suggested something I hadn’t thought of—an idea that showed me the importance of collecting feedback from students. They encouraged me to keep the quiet place, but to be open to changing the setup of the room based on what they were doing. With their help, I shifted from a static classroom to one that changed based on what students were doing.
As you start the school year, I invite you to consider whether your classroom reflects how students learn. You might think about shifts in room arrangement, the kinds of feedback you offer students, and they, in turn, offer you. In addition, consider inviting students to create guidelines for independent and group work. Shifts are challenging, but with the support of your principal and students, you can initiate changes that positively impact students’ learning. I encourage you to embrace change and develop a student-centered approach to learning.
Wishing you an exciting and productive school year!
For any organization to become successful, employees must let go of thinking that is detrimental to themselves and new employees. In education, this can be the assumption that if an experience worked for you for many years, it must be good. I call this “the it was okay for me mentality,” and it needs to stop. Kids deserve much better.
What follows is a list of poor advice shared with me by teachers and administrators during my career. All of these are bad. Do not believe them when they come your way. And I guarantee that some will definitely come your way.
Don’t Smile Until Christmas: This is a ridiculous statement that lives in schools and is often communicated by veteran staff. Would any adult want to come to work and be scowled at for half a year? Of course not. A smile is universal; it works anywhere on our planet. All students and adults should be greeted every day with a smile.
ITaught It, They Didn’t Learn It: This is an excuse that should never occur in a school. It is the job of an educator to help students learn. If an assessment shows students did not learn, then take the professional route and find a new way to help students understand.
Start the Year Hard: This is sometimes used to scare students about the year ahead, and to allow the teacher to assume a very dominant, controlling position in the class. This is also silly! Who wants to start a course with failure? Adults and students always do better when we build on success. Lift others up instead of tearing them down!
We All Have a Bad Class: This is an unfair comment that lumps students together in a negative way. Successful educators never lump students together and pass group judgment. Often, the students who give you the hardest time need you the most.
Plan Out Each Day of the Year: Once I was told that I should have each day planned for the entire year before the year started. This makes zero sense. Good planning is based on the needs of students, and each day and throughout the year they will be different.
Our Demographics Give Us Bad Scores: This is an excuse and worse yet, a racist comment. Great educators believe all students can learn, they do not accept the color of skin, where they live, of their families lack of money as reasons to be less than nurturing and supportive.
I am sure you have heard some or all of these. They may seem funny but they hurt students and have for a long time. My list could be from the present or from 100 years ago, it is time for these beliefs and slogans to stop. Collectively, we want to be seen as professionals. When you hear these sayings, remember each one erodes the professionalism of our field and does not support students’ growth and learning.
Read the options that follow carefully, before choosing. You can remain silent when you hear such comments, but this choice is a slippery slope for handling situations you do not agree with. You can agree and then do the opposite. However, consider the importance of being true to yourself. This choice will not help such a goal. The option that I favor and have adopted is to ask the person to not say these words anymore. Make sure you explain why, so the person understands your reasoning. This may be the most challenging way to respond, but I assure you it will make you feel better about yourself, your professionalism, and your commitment to students.
“Why do you read?” is a question I’ve asked countless students. Responses run the gamut from a third grader writing, “Because I live in the country and books are fun,” to a fifth grader noting, “Because I love to meet people,” to an eighth grader’s honest reply, “Can’t say. I don’t read.”
These student responses represent the range of attitudes toward reading teachers find in a heterogeneous class. When students tell you “I don’t read” or ‘I hate reading” or “No one can make me read.” Ask them why. Even though many will shrug their shoulders and say nothing, keep asking, as they know. Here are some reasons that students have shared with me:
“It takes too long to finish a book.”
“I can’t read a lot of the words.”
“I can’t find a book I like.”
“Boring!”
“I say the words. I don’t get anything.”
“ Never passed a reading test.”
“ Hate the assigned book.”
“No choice.”
“ Do more worksheets than reading.”
When students are honest, they show us why they have negative feelings toward reading. They also show us what they need to turn negative outlooks into positive ones. It won’t happen in few weeks. You might not see the change over the year you work with them. One eighth-grade girl, Katy, taught me that changeovers take time. In her junior year of high school, she wrote to me: ”Remember, me. You try to influence me to read, but I hate reading. Now, I read all the time.” Forget about quick payoffs for your work, but believe it will happen.
Help students understand that the jobs available to them in the future require outstanding reading and writing ability. But even more important, help them experience the joy and power of a personal reading life.
Suggestions for Turning Students Into Readers
The list of tips that follow can draw students into the world of books. In addition, you want to have continual conversations with them to assess their outlook and listen to and make use their comments to plan positive interventions. Avoid lecturing; always praise students for their honesty. Celebrate progress with meaningful comments. Occasionally, write a note to the student pointing out growth and progress.
Seven Tips for Building Students’ Love of Reading
Choice. Let students choose their reading materials. Let them abandon a book if it doesn’t resonate with them. I have a quick conference with students who abandon a book to find out why. The “why” offers insights into what they do and don’t enjoy.
Read aloud every day and introduce students to a wide-range of literary genres. Read those texts you love, as your passion will rub off on students. Reading aloud also builds students’ listening capacity, vocabulary, and their experiences with literary language.
Differentiation. For instructional reading, make sure students are in texts at their instructional reading level.
Independent reading should happen at school for 20 to 30 minutes at least three times a week. Doing this shows how much you value reading, but it also offers you opportunities to support reluctant readers. Encourage students to read at home by inviting them to read for 30 minutes each night. They can log the titles and authors of completed books on a simple form.
Class libraries. Build class libraries as access to books is key for inspiring students to read and love it! Organize books by genre—suspense, mystery, realistic fiction, biography, etc.—and include a range of reading levels.
Book talk. When new additions arrive, share them with students by showing them the cover, reading the description on the back cover, or the first page. Doing this shows how much you value books and reading and also provides students with many choices.
All subjects. Every teacher needs a classroom library because students should have access to books in all subjects—even physical education! When students observe that reading matters, that reading is important in all subjects, they can begin to view reading as an important and meaningful part of their lives.
Remember
Be persistent. Find out why a student hates reading. What they reveal will enable you to plan interventions that can bring them to the reading life.
