By Travis Crowder and Todd Nesloney
When we published Sparks in the Dark six years ago, our primary goal was to generate discussion in K-12 educational settings about campus-wide literacy initiatives—ones that existed both inside and beyond the literacy classroom. One of the broader ideas regarded the importance of choice in terms of students’ independent reading. We argued that the latitude to read a book of choice is a powerful and necessary element in the development of a reading life. We centered joy, love, and curiosity in our conversation, understanding that without them, the act of reading is mere compliance. And now, at this juncture, we offer a continued discussion about the ways choice ignites a passion for reading, especially the role the educator plays in cultivating joy, love, and curiosity in the reading lives of students.
Our collaborative literacy work stands on the shoulders of educators, writers, and researchers who assert that students need time to read books of their choice during the school day, particularly if they are to grow into a lifetime of reading and thinking. This assertion, though, implicates the teacher. Yes, educators should provide time for students to select books and read them, but the educator is essential in the calculus of independent reading and the development of an independent reader. Alongside students, educators must develop their knowledge of young adult and children’s literature through extensive reading. Then, we suggest teachers share the books they read with students, provide space(s) for students to preview books, offer time to read, and supply plenty of time for students to write about the books they decide to read. Of course, this assumes that teachers are researching and reading current children’s and young adult books. While students are resourceful and have always found ways to get books of interest (especially in a digital age where kids can easily access book reviews on Instagram and TikTok), the educator is influential in curating collections appropriate for specific age groups, facilitating conversations that help students differentiate between pleasure reading and academic reading (which can overlap), as well as the reasons readers reach for specific texts, and guiding students to think deeply about books of choice, reasons for reading them, and questions they generate while reading.
In the years since writing our book, we have continued to read and write about the things that matter in literacy work with adolescents. Yes, choice matters. But choice may be limited to what the educator deems worthy or finds captivating. As we mentioned above, we keep coming back to the educator—the individual responsible for co-constructing a learning environment with students and fostering love, joy, and curiosity in themselves. We teach in a time where administrative forces demand a hyperfocus on standardization, lock-step teaching, scripted curricula, and allegiances to pacing and curriculum guides that ignore the teacher/learner dimension of education and center abstraction above the concrete, i.e., the humanity of teaching and learning. When institutions state that they lift and celebrate student learning and educator autonomy, we ask them to show, not tell. To care about students’ learning is to provide space and time for educators to collaborate, research, read, dialogue, and inquire. It demands a shift in thinking about professional development and learning, moving from an imposed system to a teacher-generated initiative.
To foster such an environment, teachers must have time to collaborate about what it means to read and be a reader. This is a shift from the typical standards-focused conversation, which we understand is an important element in education. However, too often the standards-focused discussions fixate on objectives at the expense of students’ lives, experiences, and interests. When focusing on the reader, conversations tend to be more humane.
Also, teachers need time to share books and book recommendations and create a community that values the rich questions of readers: What is our teaching and learning community reading? What have you read recently that you can’t stop thinking about? Can you read a sample for us? Why don’t we stop and take a moment to jot our thinking about the sample we just heard? How might this structure (reading, listening, jotting) work for our students’ development as readers? This type of professional community pushes forward the act of reading, not the objectives of reading. This does not mean the objectives aren’t important; it just means that they exist as the act of reading, what we want students to do, is elevated.
We must also think about how we as a campus are placing an importance on literacy. How do we advertise what we’re reading? Whose voice is loudest? Whether it’s signs outside your classroom showing what you’re currently reading, advertising in your email signature, or allowing students to share on the school announcements, sharing is important. Personal recommendations always carry more weight in the reading lives of ourselves, our colleagues, and our students.
As we seek to discover and read new books and share them with others, one thought we should entertain is, “what have I read that challenged my thinking?” We all have our own perspectives, biases, and thoughts. When we read books that challenge our conventional way of thinking, it opens us up to new ideas and offers us new perspectives.
In our world today where countless talking heads want to talk about what kids should or shouldn’t read, we always come back to the idea that you know your students and your community best. That’s why reading books before you recommend them, is so important. In the same vein, staying up to date on reading research and the way our brains consume information is instrumental. We can’t ask our students to come into our classrooms and learn every day if we aren’t continuing to learn ourselves.
Reading is a journey. It’s one that takes many winding paths and isn’t meant to be walked alone. Don’t be afraid to go down those overgrown paths and try books others didn’t enjoy. Take the hand of someone and invite them on your journey. Allow them to experience the book alongside you. And when they want to go in a direction you’re not interested in, let them pursue that path and that book. In the end, we enjoy reading most when we’ve been given a say and a choice.
As we move forward into this new school year, we strongly recommend teachers have opportunities to meet together to discuss books for children and reading research. This may require a shift in thinking about current professional learning community structures or a renouncement of former ways of implementing them. We suggest teachers keep notebooks to track their thinking about texts, as well as their noticings about teaching and working with young readers. Search online for new book releases, both children’s literature and professional texts. Critically analyze it. Engage others in conversation about what you read and learn and think. Be open to dialogue and feedback. If we want to inspire our students’ joy and passion for reading, we have to spark that fire within ourselves.
This is one of the best ways to reclaim your joy, your curiosity, and your passion.
And fall in love with books and learning all over again.
Travis Crowder is a teacher, writer, thinker, and voracious reader. Over time, he has deepened his understanding of the processes and classroom structures that engage students in reading and writing. His goal is to help students uncover the reader and writer inside of them, illuminating a path of self-discovery and a love for literacy. He is an avid fan of young adult literature, adult contemporary fiction, adult nonfiction, and reading and writing research. Travis currently teaches 7th grade language arts and social studies in North Carolina. Travis wrote Sparks in the Dark: Lessons, Ideas, and Strategies to Illuminate the Reading and Writing Lives in All of Us with Todd Nesloney.
Todd Nesloney is the Director of Culture and Strategic Leadership for the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA). He has also served as the Director of Get Your LEAD On (underneath the Get Your Teach On umbrella) and was previously a Principal/Lead Learner at a PreK-5 school in Texas. He is an award winning author for his books Kids Deserve It!, Stories From Webb, Sparks in the Dark, When Kids Lead, In This Season: Words for the Heart, and his newest book, Building Authenticity: A Blueprint for the Leader Inside You. He has also published a children’s book, Spruce & Lucy.
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