Nearly every day, my social media algorithm sends me something about the decline of reading in American culture. I lie awake dwelling on harrowing statistics like 48% of people have not read a book in the last year or only 41% of new parents are reading to their children. The lack of critical thinking, imagination, and empathy – skills strengthened through reading –  can be seen in headline after headline. And cellphones, the worst plague to hit humanity since the Black Death, are destroying attention spans and literally reshaping young brains. What is this going to look like in 20 years?

It’s a real crisis. 

But there is reason for hope. And I see it every time a student falls in love with a book.

Time. Resources. Choice. 

These are the three components necessary to create a successful reader, and this year, the English 11 classes at Hyde have been fully committed to their implementation. 

Time: Every lesson begins with ten minutes of silent independent reading. No exceptions. When class starts, students are “Ready To Read!”: seated, book out, quiet, focused. A timer is set, and we read. Me included. 

This routine is essential. In a world of constant notifications and endless doom-scrolling, students rarely get uninterrupted space to focus on a book. Here, they do. Those ten minutes each day add up to forty minutes of in-class reading a week, and students also complete eighty minutes in their dorms, for a total of two hours of reading weekly. This will get a student through a novel in 3-5 weeks, depending on length and complexity. At that pace, students will be reading roughly six books this school year!

Ten minutes of a forty-five minute class may seem like a lot, but I believe in spending time on what is important, and there is nothing more important than reading. 

Resources: You can’t read books if you don’t have access to them. My classroom library recently surpassed 500 texts—an eclectic mix of YA novels, literary fiction, classics, graphic novels, and nonfiction – all at students’ fingertips. Books are displayed throughout the room so that covers are constantly visible (because sorry, we do judge books by them). We do weekly Book Talks, maintain a “Please Buy!” list, and use Book Cards with short, enticing summaries to help students find their next read. I own just about every series published (Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings, etc.) because once a student has enjoyed a “Book 1,” it is fun to hand them “Books 2, 3, 4, and 5.”

And our access doesn’t stop there. Every student received a library card to the Patten Free Public Library in downtown Bath. We visited together, got a tour from an contagiously-enthusiastic librarian, and learned how to check out books. Because Patten connects with other local libraries, students instantly gained access to thousands more books. The public library is one of the greatest tools a developing reader has, and we’ll continue to return throughout the year. Students had a wonderful time on our visit . . . and enjoyed the ice cream we got on the way home!

Choice: Hands down, the most important aspect of developing a reading culture is student choice. The reason a classroom needs so many books is because students must be allowed to explore and discover what interests them. Too often, the traditional English classroom centers around one shared text, usually a classic. Students who aren’t ready for it or simply aren’t interested, learn to associate reading with analysis and obligation rather than joy. Meeting students where they are and encouraging them to grow from there is the most successful path for strengthening comprehension. I’m not creating future English teachers; I want life-long readers. 

When they are forced to read, students use shortcuts like Sparknotes or other internet resources. Choice prevents this. I have the “Rule of 20”: if you are not invested in a story after twenty pages, switch books. Life is too short to read a book you don’t enjoy. That doesn’t mean the book is bad; it just isn’t for you. Because students know they can ask for a new book without judgment, they don’t feel the need to fake read. They search until they find something that genuinely connects with them, and once that spark hits, the pages start turning. One book, if it’s the right one, can turn any kid into a reader. 

Real Reading Begins with Joy

The success stories from just our first two months have been exciting and motivating: 

• The year started with a student who told me, flat-out, “I’ve never finished a book in my life.” He said it as a fact, not a confession, and he seemed very doubtful about my class. He has now finished his first book and is half way through his second. He recently told me, “If I get bored enough, I guess reading is fun.” In case you don’t know, that’s teenage-speak for “I’m starting to like this!”
• Another student – an English language learner – finished his first ever book in English, which he previously thought impossible. When he reached the last page, he seemed stunned. His immediate trip to the bookshelf in search of book number two brought a pretty big smile to my face. 
• Then there are the two boys who have turned reading into their own personal competition. Both ripping through hundreds of pages and casually informing me they are done with yet another one – now each wrapping up book number four. 
• A more-advanced reader decided early on that he would only choose books from the “High Level” shelf. No one asked him to. Completely his choice. He’s already on his fifth, having just finished one of the more complicated books out there, The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
• Multiple students from other grade levels have stopped by, looked around, and left with a book in their hands – and a challenge about when it will be finished. 
• And perhaps the comment that matters most came from another teacher who pulled me aside and said, “Kids are telling me they love reading again!”

Again is the key word. The love was still there. It just needed space to return. And that’s the reason I believe – deeply – that the crisis around reading is not inevitable. When students have time, resources, and choice, they don’t just read because they have to; they read because they want to. They read because they rediscover that stories can excite them, challenge them, and connect with them.

Everyone is a reader. Go find your next book.