From: Lynn Rutan <lynnrutan_at_charter.net>
Date: Sat, 05 Feb 2011 08:43:52 -0500

As a past middle school librarian I have a difficult time with the label reluctant reader. There just isn't an adequate definition that covers the myriad of reasons students may not be actively and independently reading. As has been eloquently stated here there may be learning, reading or perceptual disabilities, there may be family or social factors, there may be institutional factors that have played a role in not giving readers a comfort level or even access to books and materials. Sometimes it is purely a matter of competing time. Many of my avid middle school readers go on to high school and tell me that due to classes, enormous amounts of nightly homework, extracurricular activities that are almost a must for college admissions that they are too overwhelmed to think or want to read.

Those of us who love books and reading and who have grown up within that world view books as friendly, accessible, familiar and above all comfortable. I think we forget that isn't the case for a large number of people. Take a minute to think like a child who has been in 5 or 6 different schools already in his early years. Or one whose only experience with a library is to be marched down the hall by the teacher to room lined with shelves of books and told to hurry up and choose something. Or think like a child who has reading assignments out of something worn and dull and chosen for him. Or think like a student in a middle school studying something you aren't interested in and add an assignment of a fictional book to go along with all the other homework. There's no librarian to help so finding something is a struggle and you finally grab the first thing that isn't too long and fits the assignment. Add to that all the cultural competition for reading time like computer games and TV. Add any of the huge variety
 of disabilities. The world of books and reading that can be so magical can also be almost impenetrable for a huge number of people without help along the way. I think we as educators and book lovers sometimes forget that

I think the question isn't so much how to help reluctant readers as it is how to help us as a nation become readers - and I define "reading" in broad ways.

I know I sound like a broken record on this subject but children need an access point to books. They need people who can show them the way, explain the systems we all take for granted, They need exposure to that world from teachers and parents who read aloud from a variety of genres. They need a library with attractive age-appropriate books and with a librarian who can help them. I can tell you horror stories of libraries with lots of books on the shelves and students who are told not to "make a mess by pulling books out to look at them." I completely agree that matching the reader to the book is essential - and that match is dynamic. Readers change and explore new interests and we need to give them the time and the freedom to explore, sample, and reject.

In my school library days I saw my students frequently. They came to the library often for research assignments that I co-taught. The teachers I worked with valued reading and brought their students regularly for booktalks. Enthusiastic booktalking is a way to make an important connection with students and books. The students knew I read widely, they knew I loved books but that I also valued them and their interests. They knew I would do my best to match them with a book they would enjoy. I tried to be honest with them about what I thought and they knew they could be honest with me and bring a book back. I had the privilege of getting to know my students, having a large collection to work with and a staff who valued the importance of this resource for students.

It takes a team of people to build readers - parents, teachers, librarians, people willing to invest in a vibrant collection of materials, an academic world that includes training for teachers and administrators about what libraries and librarians can provide in the educational experience.

To answer Sherryl Clark's question - NCLB and budget cuts have taken a heart-breaking toll on my district. We used to do SO much research - wonderful higher level thinking skills projects - and that has practically disappeared. The librarian is only there 2 days a week now so it's hard for her to know the students and be there for reader advisory. Booktalks have diminished because of time.

As a librarian I don't really care whether I have a reluctant reader or an avid reader to assist. My task is to connect that reader to a book that will be just what they want.

Lynn Rutan Bookends - Booklist Online Youth Blog lynnrutan_at_charter.net
Received on Sat 05 Feb 2011 08:43:52 AM CST