Book Whisperer I (reflection)

May 23, 2013

My book club started reading Donalyn Miller’s The Book Whisperer last week. It’s an interesting read by a teacher who is passionate about instilling a love of reading in her students.

Since I’m not the voracious reader she is, as I read, I found myself wondering whether I might have the same impact on my students as she has had on hers. Then I came upon this powerful quote:

I never preach to my students about their need to read. I never talk to them about the fact that many of them do not like to read, struggle with reading skills, or have not found reading personally meaningful. If I were to acknowledge that these excuses have merit, I would allow them to become reasons for my students not to read… Choosing not to read is never discussed. It is simply not an option… I want my students to know I see each of them as a reader… The idea that they can’t read or don’t like to read is not on the table. (2009, p. 23)

I shared with my group how important this concept of high expectations was. I talked about a research paper I wrote last year concerning the dropout rate for African American males. In parts of the country where the dropout rate was well over 50%, I profiled 5 successful schools that were sending more than 90% of their students to 4-year colleges. The one thing these schools had in common was that they were run by administrators who told their students on day 1 that they would be graduating on time and going on to 4-year colleges. Failure was not an option.

I also shared that this was an approach I used when leading my groups on trips abroad. In any group there is at least one student who gets homesick early in the trip. I learned the hard way that if a group starts to focus on homesickness, everyone will have a story to tell and it won’t be long before the group becomes sullen. On the other hand, if we focus on the joy of being in a new country and all of the extraordinary experiences to come, the group stays upbeat and sees each challenge as an opportunity for growth and development. Ruminating on homesickness was never an option. I expected subsequent groups to become cohesive teams of compassionate global citizens who respected each other and the world around them, and they always rose to the occasion.

I loved coming across this reminder to believe in my students and expect success. These will be guiding lights on our path of literacy development. My students will see me as a reader. They will know that I see each of them as a reader. And they will be excellent readers too.

Reference:

Miller, D. (2009). The book whisperer: Awakening the inner reader in every child. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.