I'd
describe your beautiful book, THE BOOK WHISPERER, as a reading
teacher's manifesto for free-choice reading. You state "students in
free-reading programs perform better than or equal to students in any
other type of reading program" and that students' "motivation and
interest in reading is higher when they get the opportunity to read in
school." Could you briefly walk us through the changes you experienced
as a teacher that led you to embracing this mindset?
When I first began teaching, I followed the other teachers in my department. I passed
out
reading logs, taught whole class novel units, and assigned book
reports. I didn't know any other way. I knew that there was a disconnect
between what readers do away from school and what I asked my students
to do, but I wasn't sure what I could do about it. School reading and
the reading I did on my own never overlapped when I was a kid. When I
began questioning why this was still true for my students, I began to
read and study reading workshop and look for ways to make school reading
mirror what readers do "in the wild" as I call it.
I gut check everything we do against these questions:
Does this help my students become more independent readers?
Do readers actually do this (or something similar)?
If I can say, "No," then what's the point?
Students
in your class are expected to read forty books from a variety of genres
in their year with you. How do your students first respond when hearing
this? How does this compare to what they feel about their reading at
the end of the year?
I
am known as the teacher who expects students to read a lot, so I think
my reputation precedes me now. In the past, my students (and their
parents) were shocked and worried about my reading expectations. I urge
my students to try reading more at school and home. In turn, I promise
them that I will do everything I can to teach them how to read and enjoy
it more. We start with these mutual commitments. After a few months,
students are amazed at how much they have read and feel more confident.
By the end of the year, most of them have read substantially more than
40 books. For the past four years, our class average is 56.
My
students also discover that I don't really care about the number of
books they read. I just want them to find books that mean something to
them. I want them to enjoy reading and find personal value in it. The
children who read 20 books matter just as much to our class reading
community as those who read 100.
One
of the things I love about your classroom is the way you read alongside
your students. In giving your students choice, you have shifted the
power from the all-knowing teacher to a place where readers meet and
learn together. While your young "apprentices hone a craft under the
tutelage of a master, " you feel strongly that "meaning from a text
should not flow from my perceptions... [but] from my students' own
understandings, under my guidance."
This is a huge shift for children. How do you teach them to take the reins and trust their ideas?
It
takes time to build a classroom community where everyone feels valued.
The children don't trust me at first because they think I don't mean it
when I say they can choose their own books, writing topics, and methods
for responding. I work hard to encourage every student. I try to listen
to them as a person before I respond as a teacher. When a student tells
me he cried reading LOVE THAT DOG, he deserves to get an authentic
reaction to his emotions before I ask him to evaluate how Sharon Creech
crafted the story. I cannot tell you how many students tell me that they
think adults don't really listen to them or see them.
Through
feedback during conferences and one-on-one conversations, I encourage
students to set their own learning goals and evaluate their work against
standards and class-developed rubrics. Teaching students to critically
look at their own work before turning it in for my evaluation is hard
for many of them who seek my approval as indication that they are
successful.
I
love how you play book matchmaker for your kids throughout the year.
Can you explain how you learn of their interests and pair books with
readers?
I
learn about my students because I talk to them constantly-about their
life experiences as well as school assignments. I know who plays sports
and who likes origami. I know who has a new baby brother and who is an
only child. I also keep an endless database of books and authors in my
head (and use Goodreads), and I read several books a week. If I see that
a book is popular with my students and I haven't read it, I get a copy
and read it immediately. When I can't find a book that matches to a
student's specific interests, I fall back on titles that have wide
appeal to most kids like HOLES or NUMBER THE STARS. I also ask students
about the other books they have read and enjoyed.
I
read a lot of book reviews, reading blogs, and book lists, too.
Remaining current on the newer books helps me provide titles that are
relevant to my students. I also talk to a lot of teachers and librarians
on Twitter who recommend books to my students and me.
Knowing
my students and knowing books-there's no shortcut. I often joke that I
spend my life introducing my shelf children to my classroom children and
facilitating friendships between them.
| 
Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia
and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in
the other. She's taught English and social studies to upper elementary
and middle-school students in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and
Louisiana. Back in New 
as two more forthcoming novels in 2012 and 2013.
workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences.
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