During the day, my classroom is active and lively with lots of reading and writing and sharing and learning. When the students go home and I am by myself, the quietness settles in, and I have time to listen to the lessons my classroom whispers to me, especially my classroom library.
“You must make me special.”
When I taught elementary grades, I would section off and cover my library and put up a big Do Not Enter sign. I did this to create curiosity and the desire to see what was behind it. I had a library grand opening, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and bookmark and pencil to celebrate the special day. My goal was to show students just how special this place in our classroom could be. And yes, they did think it was special.
Middle schoolers don’t have quite that same level of excitement, but that doesn’t mean middle school teachers can’t make their library special. When a person walks into my classroom, they have no doubt that reading is valued here. My library is the focal point and the heartbeat of my classroom. Bookshelves line every space on the back wall, and baskets spill over onto other shelves. I have pictures of the books I have read on my door, and every student carries a book into my classroom.
The day I introduce my library to students, I pull baskets of books and we do an activity such as book tasting, or “speed dating.” Students get their first look at some of the books that are available to them by walking around, looking at titles, and writing titles on their “I Want to Read” page in their notebooks. To build suspense and to give each student an equal opportunity, I have them wait until the next day to check out books, making all books available to every student.
“I need more perspectives.”
As I moved from elementary to middle school, my library included more perspectives because I made it more of a priority. I live and teach in a homogenous community; therefore, including different cultures and points of view in my classroom library became even more important and more valuable. My students need to experience situations different from their own and meet characters unlike themselves. I now have books where the characters are from other countries, cultures, and races; characters or family members who are dealing with mental illness; and characters who are overcoming social and emotional issues. A library helps students see the world from others’ perspectives and become better humans.
“Better to lose my book than lose your reader.”
After 14 years of teaching, I still do not have an effective book checkout system, although I get better each year. I have tried many ideas, from library cards and pockets to a sign-out sheet to student checkout cards. I have come to believe that there is no good checkout system that is low cost and doesn’t take a lot of my time. Because my students keep a reading record and I keep a status of the class, plus kids know what books other kids are reading, I have a pretty good idea of who is reading what. Building trust with middle schoolers is a key part of building relationships with them, and I need to trust them with my books. But that doesn’t mean I still don’t lose books, and that is fine. After 14 years of teaching, I still stand by the idea that I would rather lose the book than the reader.
“Organize me like the real world.”
The organization of my classroom library has gone through a complete metamorphosis. I started out with a completely leveled library and have slowly moved away from levels and toward other ways of organizing. Today, most of my library is organized by genre, with a few featured baskets of selected series and authors and nonfiction topics and a shelf of new or “first-to-read” books. Organizing books in a classroom library should emphasize and elevate student choice by allowing students the freedom to browse according to their own interests and preferences. Students of all grade levels need to learn how to choose books as they would in a bookstore or a public library or the real world. After all, my goal is to make them real-world readers.
“All reading is valuable.”
The interest in graphic novels began to take off at the beginning of my teaching career. Some people argued that reading graphic novels wasn’t “real reading,” and some teachers were reluctant to have graphic novels in their library. I had a parent ask me how to encourage her child to move away from graphic novels and read a real book. After I explained the work that is needed to make the inferences in a graphic novel, the parent had a different mindset about her child reading one. I believed then and I believe now that reading is more than just reading a novel. With the current popularity of graphic novels, novels in verse, and narrative nonfiction, increasing the variety of reading choices is easier than ever for teachers. Choice empowers and engages readers. My classroom library invites choice, and my students embrace it. All reading is valuable, and we need to find a place in the library for more than just novels.
Take a look at your classroom library. Listen as it whispers the answers to these questions.
- How could you make your library more special for your students?
- Which diverse books are missing from your collection?
- What can you do to build trust with your students so they understand books need to be read but also returned?
- How can you organize your library to help students navigate making good book choices?
- How can you make sure your students know that you value all kinds of reading?
When a library whispers, positive changes in your classroom library can happen. We just have to listen.
