Teachers Who Read

In Reading in the Wild, Donalyn Miller says, "The most effective reading teachers are teachers who read."  I agree with Donalyn's  (yes, I feel like we're on a first name basis now) statement.  I am more effective as a reading teacher when I am reading a lot.

This week at my school everyone has been talking to students about their reading plans for Spring Break.  All of the students are expected to participate in the Spring Break Reading Challenge. Kids have been checking out tons of books from the school library.  Teachers are helping kids fill their backpacks with reading materials so nobody goes without books during our break.

I wondered if the teachers also had a plan for Spring Break reading. I know I have a bag full of books, but I didn't really have a plan. I also hadn't made my intentions public.

So I created a staff Spring Break Reading Challenge.  I wanted each teacher to choose a book from his/her library that they had never read before, read it over break, and think about a student they can recommend the book to. I was really nervous. Would people think I was being pushy? Would anybody else join me?

I ran my idea by two of my colleagues. They were so supportive and encouraging that I decided to give it a go. (One friend actually had the same idea, and we hadn't even talked about it. CRAZY!!!) Right now we have about 1/3 of the staff that have signed up for the challenge.  To be honest, I'm kind of disappointed. I was expecting more teachers to join, but I have to remember that all the books that are read are going to impact students. Every book that is read by our teacher will lead to more effective reading instruction. Our kids will be the winners in the end.  You can find a copy of the challenge at challenge doc .