Creating A Culture of Readers

Creating A Culture of Readers 

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I was in a meeting with my principal recently and mentioned I didn't think I wanted to be on our school's literacy team anymore.  This was surprising to both of us because reading is MY THING.  It's what I love so much about teaching kindergarten.  When she asked why, the answer came pretty simply: the team is focused on curriculum and I want to foster a culture of readers.  I don't think the two are compatible, at least as it is now.

At the last literacy meeting I heard over and over things like:

• "There isn't time to have kids read because of the curriculum."  
• "I tried to have more reading time, but needed to prep the students for the vocabulary tests."
•  "I wish I could teach handwriting. There's no time."  
• "I have my kids read for ten minutes at snack, but mandate they read at home."

I wanted to cry.  I am surprised I didn't. What are we doing to kids?  

Don't get me wrong.  We need curriculum. We need to have equitable education in each classroom at the school.  We can't have each teacher finding their own topics and teaching them.  And curriculum CAN be good when it is used as a tool to teach not the end all be all of teaching. 

But reading, actual reading, should be planned for FIRST and curriculum scheduled around it.  There is NO curriculum that does more for our students than reading will do.  The statistics prove it year after year. 

Teachers MUST CHANGE THEIR MINDSETS.  More importantly, administrators MUST change their demands to give teachers permission to create a culture of reading in their classrooms.  If you want to be inspired and to validate that this IS the most important thing we can do as educators, I highly recommend The Book Whisperer by Donalynn Miller.  Some excerpts to from the book: 

• "Anyone who calls herself or himself a reader can tell you that it starts with encountering great books, heartfelt recommendations, and a community of readers who share this passion." (I annotated this quote with that it is so true in my own personal life)
• "Readers in remedial settings read roughly 75% less than their peers in regular reading settings...students who do not read regularly become weaker readers with each subsequent year" 
• "Is reading weighted down with so many requirements for performance that reading is connected in students' minds with an obstacle course or work, and, therefore, with stress?"
• "No matter how long students spend engaged in direct reading instruction, without time to apply what they learn in the context of real reading events, students will never build capacity as readers." AMEN!
• "No single literacy activity has a more positive effect on students' comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, spelling, writing ability, and overall academic achievement than free voluntary reading." 

Donalynn outlines how she gives all her students a goal to read 40 books throughout the school year.  The chapter about this is my favorite because what she is doing with students is so powerful and a true gift.  She discusses that there is no consequence for falling short.  She mentions a student read 22 one year, which was the lowest amount any student achieved.  But it was TWENTY TWO books!  That child read twenty two novels.  Complete success.  How many adults do you know that read 22 books in a year?

I teach kindergarten and my students are voracious readers.  In February alone, which was only about 17 instructional days, my 25 students read over 36.000 words.  If there is a day I have to skip independent reading for whatever reason, they ask for it.  They miss it.  It is our culture.  One classroom won't cut it. I want ALL kids to have that reading joy and experience.  So for now, I will blog about it, help my peers, and keep on reading myself.  Because it is good for my soul!