Chadwick teachers have found a new way to get students excited about books.
At the beginning of the school year, Mrs. Courtney Mitchell hung up a sign in her history classroom displaying the titles of the book she is currently reading, the book she just finished, and the book she plans to read next.
She got the inspiration when she saw a sign in the classroom at another school.
When other Chadwick teachers heard about the excitement that Mrs. Mitchell’s sign was creating, they decided to post information about which books they were reading too.
Mrs. Mitchell thinks having a “What are you reading?” sign is a good conversation starter for students and a way to help get them interested in reading. She says the conversations almost always lead to a reading recommendation.
For several students, these recommendations have led to a renewed interest in reading.
Junior Cora Michael read a book that Mrs. Mitchell recommended called It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover. “I read it in just a few days,” she said. “It’s the first book I’ve actually finished since third grade when I read all the Magic Treehouse books.”
Freshman Kali Purdome, who is reading The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, said her parents are in disbelief when they catch her reading around the house. “I love this book,” she said. “I’m actually enjoying reading.”
Mrs. Mitchell hopes that if a student can see that their teachers read and love reading, then maybe they will learn to love to read too.
“Reading is for everyone,” Mrs. Mitchell said, “not just for school assignments.”
-Madison Tilley
