With Gratitude to the Book Love Foundation

At the end of the 2018 school year I was notified that I had been selected as a Book Love Foundation Grant recipient. To say that I was excited would be a HUGE understatement. There is not much that I love more than adding new books to our classroom library. You might be familiar with this quote from Erasmus, “When I get a little money, I buy books. If any is left, I buy food and clothes.” That’s pretty much me.

In our reading intervention classroom, I challenge students to read 40 books each year in a variety of genres (many thanks to the Book Whisperer, Donalyn Miller). This allows them to figure out what they like and who they are as readers. I’m deeply saddened by the number of middle school students we have who don’t yet know themselves as readers (or worse...in so many cases, identify themselves as NONreaders). The Book Love Foundation grant allowed me to purchase multiple copies of students’ favorite graphic novels, series books, novels in verse, and nonfiction titles. I also chose picture books to use as read alouds. Other recommendations came from my Twitter and Goodreads reading communities.

I have never been more sure that we need to include Social Emotional Learning in our classrooms. Whether it’s hearing that students have disrespected a substitute teacher of a different race, bullied another student who doesn’t look or act like they do, or said repeatedly that something “is gay”, it is clear that we have some major work to do. While students are in our care, we need to model and inspire within them empathy and compassion. I believe that outside of our own actions, the best place to start building that empathy is in the reading of fiction. Fiction allows students to grapple with difficult issues within the safety of the pages of books. Students need opportunities to think about, write about, and have conversations about people and places that are different from themselves. Because if we’ve “met” people who are not like us in books, it’s not such a big deal when we encounter them in person. It is critical for teachers to have large, inclusive classroom libraries, and that students are given time each day to read books that they choose.

In 2017, having been inspired by Jarred Amato, I began a Project LIT Community chapter in our building. The Book Love Foundation grant allowed me to purchase multiple copies of several of the Project LIT Book Club choices. (I’ve included the photo so that you can check out the community, and take a look at the outstanding books that are being read and discussed by students, teachers, and community members in 48 states!). I am so proud of the conversations that our students have around these books, and continue to be amazed by the authors who create these important stories and support our students in so many ways.

I can’t tell you how much the Book Love Foundation has improved my classroom library for our students and book-loving staff members!

So how can you get involved? You can check out the Book Love Summer Book Club here.

This will be my second summer participating. Here’s how it works:
     1. We read and discuss four different titles with teachers all over the world.
     2. The money donated provides the grants that are used to spread the book
         love to classroom libraries.
     3. Everybody wins!

Many thanks to Penny Kittle for writing Book Love and starting the Book Love Foundation. And thanks to all of the participants who help fund the grants that impact so many students and classrooms! Please know that you are making a difference!