Last month, I descended upon local library fill-a-bag sales with a mission in mind: to find multiple copies of relevant titles for my senior book clubs. These would not be books that would stay in my classroom library. I purchased these with the express intent of giving them away to groups of students who had interest in reading books beyond what the school closet had to offer. While many groups selected in-house book club options, others took me up on the opportunity to be gifted their very own copies of books (in which they could write, annotate and highlight). Titles such as The Lovely Bones, Prep, Little Bee, The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Cutting for Stone, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Angels and Demons, The Help and Deception Point got snatched up by my seniors. That two bags of books cost me $14, an investment I'm happy to make in the reading lives of my students. One paperback costs as much, for goodness sake! And I don't have to worry about collecting them or shelving them again. They can belong to my students, who can pass them on to a friend.
The best part about offering students more choice is how much they have surprised me by reading ahead. That's right: about one third of my twelfth graders are ahead of schedule and already reading their next book -- the one they scheduled for next week. I'm trying not to be too effusive about this in front of them, but on the inside, I am all:
A few weeks ago, I wrote about challenge, change and chance, and the role all three play in enriching the reading lives of my students. It's great to see it playing out in the classroom here. On the writing end, as my seniors work on their Bucket List portfolios, I'm delighted to read their reflections on the past four years, their anticipations about their futures, and the values they have placed on the learning they have done. Teaching seniors sometimes feels like herding cats. It's hard being the one who has to tell them not to leave before they leave. In reading, they're speeding ahead and looking forward. In writing, they're slowing down to appreciate all they have and hope for.
In another few weeks, I will descend upon yet another fill-a-bag sale close to home. I don't know what books I might find there, but I do know I'm hooked on finding great titles for my students to enjoy, as real readers do.
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