Tomorrow my colleague and I will be visiting classes in a separate building to begin a conversation about reading for self-identified non-readers. These are students who are in specialized classes in iterations of 15:1:1 and 8:1:1 setting whose teacher wants to encourage a connection to reading which has been largely absent from their academic pursuits.
Years back I attended a training that used the term undiscovered reader rather than reluctant reader or nonreader as it changes the mindset to an ownership for the adults in their lives who are just as important to the process of them discovering an appreciation for reading as the student themselves. It often only takes one book.
My first memory of a book that I wanted to read over and over and over again was Avi’s The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. That was early enough on in my life that I was always a casual reader and could find books to read when I wanted. While I don’t have a specific person that I can point to that helped me appreciate reading, Mrs. Preston, my pint-sized Dr. Seuss loving elementary school librarian did love her job and I do remember that about her right down to her stereotypical outfits and glasses with the chain to hang around her neck when she pulled them off.
I’m hoping to channel a little of that energy tomorrow when we visit their classroom. Books can be friends, companions, portals to learning, a break from reality, entertainment, and so much more. We’ll break up the time with some booktalks, a book tasting, some bookmark coloring, and a tutorial on Sora. The goal is to provide a non-threatening environment to encourage exploration and possibly check out a book digitally or in print that they could spend time reading. No quizzes, no homework, no journaling. Just reading. I applaud the teacher for taking this step in breaking down the barriers to access and providing a safe place to books to exist.
Who knows, maybe we’ll be able to move a few of them from undiscovered readers to readers.
