Readicide by Kelly Gallagher

 

How do we psych kids up to get as excited as we are about books? That will always be the question. Wrongly, not everyone is gunho about reading. Although it is wrong, we cannot force kids to love reading.

Just recently, my mentor teacher introduced to my freshmen the book To Kill a Mockingbird, and every student in the class made an auditable groan. Although this was not utterly shocking to me, it was disheartening. How was I going to help kids see the value in this fantastic piece of art? The pressure is still on.

Kelly Gallagher in his chapter "Finding the 'Sweet Spot' of Instruction" mentions how there is no such thing as "lousy literature." Every piece of literature required by public schools was placed in the cirriculum for a reason. Each book holds substantial value. When kids walk away from a book unit feeling as though they have gained nothing from the experience, the teacher has failed. It is our job to help the kids understand the great value these pieces of literature can add to their lives. It's fine to walk away not loving the story, but it isn't okay to see it as a pointless period of time in their academic lives.

I really find value in what Atwell, a respected author of Gallagher's said about high school students. She reminds us that students are simply trying to figure out adulthood because it's coming up quick on them. The heat is on to grow up and know how to successfully navigate life. I believe that if we present books with this lens, it may make a difference. Everyone wants a cheat sheet for life, and books are exactly that. If everyone took the time to sit down and read, knowledge of the world would be abundant. Empathy would reign and everyone would most likely be a little nicer to each other. Getting students to understand that the value that lies within these books are in fact adult/life related, they may find a new interest.