They Are Reading!

Four days after I originally intended to sit down and write, I am finally able to get my thoughts on paper. Days filled with shopping for a washer and dryer, rearranging furniture, traveling all over looking for a bunk bed (still no luck), lesson plans, and work have made it difficult for my day to end before 10pm. Unfortunately, it has also impacted my opportunity to get a workout in. If only I could figure out a way to actually get out of bed at 5am when my alarm goes off.

I continue to be flattered by the number of people reading my blog. It is not evident looking at either the blog site or my facebook page; however, more people than I thought possible are emailing me about what I write. In one of my last entries, I wrote about going for my national certification. Shortly after, one of my readers sent me a check for a good chunk of the cost to get the process going. Needless to say, I am going for my national certification next year. Blows my mind!

My students are talking about books!!! It is so exciting to hear them ask if they can take a book home or read ahead. I can’t imagine not letting them take a book home, but I am frequently encouraged to have the books stay at school as the students may not return them.  I cannot imagine keeping books at school! We may lose a few books or they may get a bit tattered, but THEY ARE READING!

Not only are the students talking about books, a couple of adults are also. What kind of  books do at-risk kids want to read? Books that grab their attention. Edgy books. Books that talk about real-life situations. There may even be some swearing involved. Mr. Wilson and I have split up our classes by gender. The boys are reading a book called The True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. When reading it, I laughed out loud. The narrator is a skinny, Indian kid. A 14 year old boy who shares his inner thoughts with us about being a “poor ass Indian.” The boys brought the word “ass” to my attention. I just gave them a smile and asked if they were okay with it. After a quick “yes” they put their noses back into their books and read looking for the next swear. The narrator is honest and talks about issues on the mind of most adolescent boys – Indian or not.

The book that has the adult in my room concerned is the one we are reading with the girls, Dreamland. The book begins on Caitlyn’s birthday. She wakes up to discover her older, “perfect” sister has run away. In one of my classes in my group of eight girls, three had an older sister run away. Conversations began. Throughout the book, Caitlyn will be faced with decisions around relationships and drugs. Unfortunately, the adult with the concerns does not come to me, but rather to other adults. She is concerned that running away is being glorified. I understand her concern, but she made this statement only one chapter into the story. Soon, nothing will be glorified. Each day, girls are coming to me asking if we are going to read. We are sharing the books with the other class, so they are not able to keep one for themselves.

I had to order more books the other day due to the number of girls suspended. I gave them a book to read during their suspension. Again, against the advice of another teacher. If we are not going to let kids get books in their hands, they are not going to read. We cannot only send books home with our ‘readers’ who will return them in a timely fashion in order to get another one. More likely than not, the kids returning them already have books at home. We need to get books into the hands of ALL kids. Books that will hold their interest. Books that will allow them to escape. Books that will allow them to see the results of real-life situations. Our kids cannot improve their reading skills, unless we give them meaningful opportunities to read.