Why we read

The other day, a friend of mine shared that they were unsure if they still had a place in education because of the shifting winds and trends of the moment. See, there has always been a discussion on how to teach reading, and it has really been a constant pendulum. Some think pieces come out, and maybe some research studies and everyone abandons their practices that don't align and gets on board with the new (or not new) trend until the pendulum swings again. I don't pay attention to the trends; I am not one for shifting my thinking based on the crowd or the "cool kids" table. I try to bring my students what they need. That changes from year to year. This year we need stories to observe the world of books and ask what they are trying to teach us. That is why we read. I want students to experience books that bring them new ideas, that hook them and pull them in to new worlds, I want them to read books that has them looking for more. My friend Kylene Beers has often mentioned the literate illiterate, the kids who can read but, because of many factors, choose not to. I never want my teaching to be why kids distance themselves from books.

I am reading The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline this month with students. The book is dystopian, set in a future in which the world is ravaged by pollution. As a result, a condition where people can't dream has taken over much of the population. Those spared from this pandemic are the Indigenous people. The power to dream is woven into their bones through stories and traditions. As happens in dystopian texts, things get darker when it is discovered that through harvesting the bone marrow, a drug can be produced that grants users the ability to dream once again. This book has opened up opportunities to discuss current issues around the environment, colonialism, and racism, as well as hope and resilience. Largely we have discussed the power of stories. The power that stories have to teach us, not just as they do for the characters in The Marrow Thieves, but also how they can teach us. At one point, while we were listening to the audiobook at a very tense part, I looked up from my copy, and every single one of my students, self-described non-readers, was engrossed. Aside from the narration, you could hear a pin drop. A character was revealed to have died, and the emotions that students had, ranging from shock to anger, were palpable. This wonderful group of kids who generally avoid reading were so engaged in the text and conversations that followed. This is why we read.

In Game of Thrones, there is that line, "The night is dark and full of terrors." Neil Gaiman said, "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." When I think about why we read, I think about these quotes. There is a lot out in the world that is scary; books give us a way to process the scary, learn, and see that there is always the possibility of defeating it. I shared Samira Ahmed's Internment with students the other day and we talked about how as a dystopian tale it has started to reveal some actual truths, book bans, Muslim travel bans, these are fictional ideas in the book that became real. A strong female protagonist also stands up to these oppressors and fights back.

My sister-in-law and I had a quick conversation tonight when they stopped to check out my office zoo. She saw my Lifting Literacy background and asked about it. Her daughter is a prolific reader of Graphic Novels and worried that she needed to move on to more traditional texts; her son is generally a reluctant reader. Both would be empowered by choice, which was my advice. Let them read what they want and push back against claims that they need to move on. They will do so when they find interest in something else. Regarding graphic novels, mountains of research support their power to build readers; we need to let kids find the texts they love and fall into them. There is power in those stories.

I have thought a lot about my friend's comments, wondering if there is still space for them and if their voice is the voice we need. I think more than ever, we need the voices that put books in kids' hands, the ones who help students find the stories that will save them, the stories that will heal the harm we are all moving through right now. Books have that power. Stories have that power. We just have to give kids and ourselves a chance to read them.