President Truman has been quoted saying, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” Empowering my students to become leaders is a continually effort in my classroom. One of the best ways to create feelings of empowerment within my students is to have them engaged in reading. Reading offers those adventures they otherwise would be unable to experience, information they otherwise would not obtain, and choices they otherwise do not have.
I work in a large Title 1 urban school, and most of my students do not enjoy reading. Actually many times it is very challenging to get my students to read. Many of my students hold tight to their previous bad experiences with reading, and are very reluctant to read. Their reluctance and bad memories jeopardize their ability to ever enjoy reading. I work very hard to engage my students in reading. But commitment, and compassion, can only go so far when even I find the books boring. The one thing that has continually been able to break down and erase bad reading experiences is engaging new books. Even the most reluctant struggling reader will attempt to read a book they think will be interesting. Once the student has let their wall down, and has decided to try a book they think is interesting, everything else working within the classroom will fall into place for the student. Not only does reading play a large role in empowering students, but it also plays such a large role in college. I am constantly trying to create a college bound environment for my students. I do not believe any environment is really college bound if it does not include reading.
One of the greatest parts of engaging a student in reading is when they finish a book and come to you looking for another just like it. I do my very best to keep the over 90 students I currently have reading throughout the school year. But when the winter months come, many of my students have read all the books in my classroom. If there are not any books they easily become discouraged, and all the hard work towards getting them to love reading is quickly gone. Because of this, I am constantly in need of new engaging books for my students.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you in advance for helping me in my efforts to supply my students with engaging books!
More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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