Action Plan Update: It’s All About the Celebration!!!

On the day of the launch of my action plan, a classroom of ninth grade arms shot, with enthusiasm and pride, into the air. I had just asked “who, in this group, is a reader?” I was stunned by the overwhelming response; over 80% of the 40 students I’d gathered together that morning were describing themselves as readers! As if in disbelief, I followed:  ”no, no, no, I don’t mean  ‘who in this group reads the novels assigned by your English Teacher?’ I mean, ‘who makes reading a meaningful part of their life? Who actively pursues their own interests in literature in their own time?’” Defiantly, the hands remained high. It was, somehow (shamefully!), not the response I’d expected. I mean everything I’d been reading about reading seemed to tell me that kids don’t read anymore.  And yet, here I was, before a room full of readers looking at their teacher like he’s an idiot. “Of course we read. Doesn’t everyone? Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?” And the students proceeded to fill the room with the great stories of their reading lives: the novels, authors and series that transformed them from uninterested to engaged, and from casual to passionate. I was both excited and disarmed. My students read! But now what? Wasn’t my action plan built on the premise that my students aren’t reading?

Later that very same day, just out of curiosity, I asked the very same question of my 10^th graders, and to almost the exact opposite response. Reading? The mere suggestion turned the room lifeless. Such is the nature of 10^th graders to perhaps hide their enthusiasm of just about anything behind a veil of indifference, but a serious problem was/is apparent. Clearly, this was the group for whom my passionate speech would be better served. And later the same day I confronted my 11^th graders to a similar response. In a sense, this is exactly what I’d been promised; all kids love to read, but somewhere along the way, they lose interest (or the will or the time). In our school, it seems that ‘somewhere’ is in the transition from ninth to 10^th grade. As far as my ninth graders go, this brought my action plan into greater focus. I don’t have to convince them of anything. They already know. I just have to find a way to keep it rolling, to build enough momentum to get through that wall. It’s all about the celebration!

So this, for the most part, has been my action plan: to find meaningful ways to celebrate reading. And celebrating reading is, as it turns out, a fun and simple endeavour. The students are happy to light up twitter with particularly great moments from their reading experiences. They’re excited to stand in front of the class to share sections of their favourite novels. They love when they are read to by me or other faculty members. They love seeing their reading accomplishments displayed in the class, and they’re excited when classmates are reading the novels they’ve just finished. They’re excited to see their teacher reading the novels they’ve recommended.  Really, they just appreciate the time they’re given in class each day to read and discuss the books they love.

The challenges, I’ve decided, are mostly imaginary. I mean, this is a significant endeavour. More than anything it demands significant time. 25 minutes is taken from each 85 minute period and the regular flow of class. And so, something is lost with that. But I’ve already determined that whatever that something is, is not nearly as important as this. So what’s my problem? When I grow anxious because I’m moving “too slowly” through a unit, or a particular lesson/discussion/activity/assignment is lost, or I’m not finding ways to track and assign grades to their reading experiences, I am merely responding to my own anxiety born out of a self-imposed sense of urgency. In that sense, this is/has been the very best kind of endeavour: the kind that challenges the conventions/barriers/constructs that can be difficult to look and move beyond while creating environments that truly reflect growing and changing concepts of learning.

I sense the greatest challenges are yet to come. If we are building momentum towards a reading life, and we truly are building a culture that celebrates and fosters reading, then how do we keep that rolling beyond the 9^th grade? Is it as simple as maintaining the celebration through 10^th grade? Is that possible, at least to the same extent, as the students begin to face the rigorous academic demands of the IB program? Can I continue to give 25 minutes of each class? Is it fair for me to continue to insist upon 20 minutes of reading each day outside of class time? (will I be able to maintain 20 minutes of reading when our second child arrives sometime in the next few weeks?!!!) My sense is that celebrating reading for a few minutes a couple of times a week in an English class is not nearly enough to ensure a reading life. The next steps of my action plan will focus on strategies to extend the celebration beyond my classroom. How do we make student reading experiences and accomplishments visible throughout the school? Just imagine if we could find a way for those experiences and accomplishments to affect the larger culture of the school.