“If we teach a child to read but fail to develop a desire to read, we will have created a skilled nonreader, a literate illiterate. And no high test score will ever undo that damage.” Kylene Beers
Middle school students must find in books something as real as their social groups and as entertaining as video games. Middle school readers literally feel their way through a book.
Many teens whose lives are protected by conscientious parents and safe neighborhoods are looking for the pain found in books about the holocaust or the heroism found in wars. Those who are tantalized by ideas feel the pull of science fiction and dystopias. As their bodies become adult, many teens need to feel-at least vicariously- the truths of sex. Those who are pinched by rules and expectations get a thrill from hearing written expletives, exploring trendy new genres, and speeding through break-the-mold graphic novels.
If we have hopes to lead our teens through a text to their own personal outrage, empathy and reflection, we must stop, pause and ask ourselves: “Are we feeling it?”
Partners in Literacy volunteer’s biggest impact happens in sharing reading with middle school students-not just the students who are struggling but all middle school student.
Our reading volunteers, after each session of reading and discussing a chosen book together with their buddies, write a few sentences documenting the reading session. Here are some notes from volunteers who were sharing reading with 7th and 8th grade students at Odyssey and Bill Roberts Middle Schools in Denver 2019-2020.
MK and D had been working through the horror genre. They had read short stories written by Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft and now they had just begun Steven King. MK writes: “Dolan reacted quite strongly when he realized when it became apparent that she killed the wrong brother.”
S and Nella (a therapy dog) read with R. They are reading Rain, Reign by Ann Martin (2015). The main character, Rose, is 11 and has Asperger’s Syndrome. She is head-over-heals in love with her new dog, Rain. A torrential rain leads to flooding and the streets become fast flowing rivers. R said that this is the most terrifying sentence he has ever read: “Rose called Rain; he did not come.”
T and M were reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017). In this story, the main character, Starr, witnesses the deaths of two of her best friends. Seven’s (her step brother), step-dad is a gang lord. Seven’s mother is a lost soul who treats everyone badly. T writes: ” “Mia was upset at the treatment of Seven by his mom.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a mystery novel by Mark Haddon (2003) . The story is told in first person by Christopher who has Asperger’s Syndrome. R writes about L and S: “Also, we discussed whether or not Christopher was selfish or was he just wired that way? Which led us to talk about how difficult it must be to love him, even though he can’t help it.“
R and K were reading Jefferson’s Sons by Kimberely Brubaker Bradley (2011). It is the story of the children of the slave, Sally Hemmings and President Jefferson. R writes” “The last chapter was gut-wrenching. We discussed how hard it would be to have a social barrier separating a father and his children. K is close to her father and this part of the book really affects her.”
We, parents, guardians, teachers, volunteers and librarians who are entrusted with the nurturing of these metamorphic children must proceed with great respect and caution. Must of all we must leave aside our own agendas and give ourselves time to be a witness to what they feel. What is possible lies in the galaxy of the teen’s inner self. We must believe that the depth of experiences that words can convey is as infinite as one teen heart.