Readicide: A Quick Response

Right before I started school again, I grabbed lunch with a really good friend of mine who did Teach for America in Phoenix. Jake had gone through his two years, and stayed on at his inner-city school because he loves it so much. I wanted to ask him about his experience teaching, to make sure this was really what I wanted to go back to school for. He is incredibly passionate about what he does, and was super encouraging. During our conversation, Jake was telling me it had been a struggle to get his students to find enjoyment in reading. He said, “I really believe teachers kill the joy of reading.”

I have to send this book to him.

I loved Kelly Gallagher’s Readicide. As an avid reader, and someone who cannot wait to talk to students about books and why they are so incredibly valuable, I want insure I am making reading a movement my students are excited about. When I read that one of Gallagher’s students said she was “not really interested in books, pages, and words,” I felt my heart break a little. Gallagher talks about the factors that make students feel that way; such as focusing on the test, overteaching and underteaching books, as well as dismissing authentic experiences with reading. But most surprisingly, Gallagher states that students are not doing enough reading in school.  So how do we end readicide? Gallagher fills his book with concepts and ways for teachers to bring the joy of reading back to the classroom.

I am a huge fan of classic literature, but I recognize that not all of my students will be freaks like me. I want to select books that challenge my students, but still engage their passion levels. Gallagher writes, “We are English teachers, not English assigners, and as such, we are paid to get in our classroom and present texts that stretch our students thinking” (57). He doesn’t say this has to be Beowulf, Chaucer, or Aristotle’s “Allegory of the Cave.” Just a book that makes them think critically; we can help and should them think through the text.

I am doing my unit plan on To Kill a Mockingbird.  It happens to be one of my favorite books, but I also think it is one of the most important pieces of literature written. Gallagher gave us loads of statistics and examples that examined how race is sadly still a large issue in our society. He proceeds to tell us how and why To Kill a Mockingbird can be an asset and opportunity to talk about these issues in the classroom. He says, “strictly adhering to a 122-page curriculum guide will not make out students wiser about the world they are soon to inherit” (69). That is the thing with books, we have all of these tools at our fingertips to help us learn more about the human condition, and help us grow as people. Yet, we dismiss reading novels full of universal themes to make sure we are teaching students how to pass standardized tests, or shoving books down their throat without taking time to actually talk about it. I want to be a teacher who encourages their students to be lifelong readers, and to use books as a tool to help students gain a deeper self-awareness.

To do this, need to be sure I am not overwhelming my students by expecting them to shove sticky notes into their books or pausing to do a worksheet after every few pages. I realize I need to assess what my students are learning, but Gallagher has suggestions that allow your students to curl up with a book and just read. One suggestion he makes that I am excited to try is the 50/50 approach, where half of the books read in class are for academic purposes and the other half are selected for recreation.

This book taught me so much about how reading is being killed, and how to prevent it. I have to remember, reading and English are not going to be every students favorite subject, but I can make it something memorable and enjoyable. I am excited to bring the joy back to reading.