The Library
This past quarter, our English Teacher Madison created a library in her classroom to inspire a love of reading in her students.
Read on to hear about this special place in her own words
I wanted to make the library compelling. I had a great foundation to work with; tons of classics, some philosophical books, and some assorted Harry Potter novels, but I felt that we were lacking diversity in our titles. The bookshelves felt more like furniture than a living wealth of stories. So, I started a suggestions list. I began asking students what kind of books they liked, or if they didn’t know, I’d ask what were their favorite movies genres, or stories that they enjoyed.
Quickly, we developed quite a list. Students enjoyed reading The Hunger Games last year, so I rummaged through my house and brought back the next books in the series. Xavi was interested in Sci-Fi, so we bought a series called Ender’s Game. Lulu loves learning words from other languages, so I found an old German-English dictionary at a second-hand bookstore and brought it back.
Book by book, the bookshelves were transformed into a library.
When I look at it today, it feels vibrant and bustling and alive. I love the feeling of triumph that comes from handing a student a book they’ve been waiting for, and the excitement in their faces when they settle in for silent-reading times. I love the search for the right book, the back-and-forth as we discover what title would be right for this unique student? I love when students pop into my room just to ask, “Hey, can I borrow a book?”
Most of all, I love knowing that through this, students are experiencing the powerful and beautiful stories of the world, and sharing them with each other. Books are a reflection of us as humans. They’re a collection of our nearest and dearest experiences, dreams, beliefs. The right book can make you feel connected, or challenge your perspective, or help you step into someone else’s shoes and see what it’s like to be them. In short, books connect us to each other. And in the end, that’s really why this matters.
