A Visible Reading and Writing Life Delivers Teachers Power and Influence

 

In this collection of stories, writers talk
about the authors they revered as
children; the stories and poems that
 shaped their own work.
A teacher I was working with as a literacy consultant, once boldly announced, ‘I don’t want my students to know anything about my life. I am just here to teach.’ 

The comment disturbed me on a number of levels. It represented no sense of the need to bond with students. I had the impression the teacher was simply a forlorn imitation of a living, breathing teacher. When we make the effort to bond with students, we consciously humanize ourselves. We connect with our students more effectively when we provide insights as to how we operate as lifelong learners. In order to do this, we need to give something of ourselves and that requires an emotional commitment, not just the rolling out of curriculum.

It continues to surprise me how many of my colleagues conduct secret reading and writing lives. Literate lives hidden from their students and disconnected from their professional roles. They may be voracious readers, but see no need to connect this rich reading life to their classroom practice. Others may keep diaries and journals about their travels and broader lives. Some write poetry. But it's all kept secret.

Sadly, all this rich literate activity exists separately from their classroom persona- and deep within that separateness remains a rich, untapped vein.

If reading and writing extends beyond your teaching life ask yourself-
 
What compels me to read and write? 
How can I bring this to bear in my professional life as a teacher?
 
As educators there is value in re-examining our literate lives to determine which aspects of that life might enrich and influence classroom practice. 

American Author, Annie Dillard in her book, 'The Writing Life' delivers a strong reminder that we should resist any impulse to keep to ourselves what we have learned. She claims that to hide such knowledge is both shameful and destructive. What we fail to share willingly and abundantly will in time become lost to us. Our legacy becomes nothing more than a pile of ashes. 

Dillard's words are unequivocal.  As readers and writers we must be open to sharing what we have come to know. As the most proficient reader and writer in the classroom, we possess enormous power to influence attitude and engagement. 

I make a point of letting students know that I:
  • Love owning books and have an extensive and ever expanding library of books
  • Talk about books with family,  friends and colleagues
  • Know what I am going to read next
  • Read more than one book at a time
  • Have defined interests as a reader
  • Read book reviews to learn about books
  • Love spending time in bookshops
  • Need to read in order to feed my writing
  • Use reading to extend and challenge my thinking
  • Have favourite authors that I trust
  • Read professionally to continue my learning about education
  • Record extracts in my writer’s notebook
  • Read every day across a range of genres –newspapers, e-reading, books, recipes, magazines
Examine what you do as a reader and determine to make your thinking and behaviour around reading, visible to your students. This is powerful modelling of a significant adult. An adult living a literate life. Our students are more likely to follow us and expand their own reading and writing if they see we value our own literate abilities.

I make a point of sharing books I have recently purchased, or am reading. I read extracts where I believe the writers have used words powerfully. I share my understandings and what I hope to gain from my reading of a particular book.

Over recent months I have added the following books to my personal library. Some will be added to my suitcase of surprises:

'Bindi' by Kirli Saunders- a verse novel for Upper Primary readers.It explores, climate, bushfires and healing. 

'This Poem Is A Nest' by Irene Latham a book that undertakes a glorious exploration of found poetry.

'These Wild Houses' by Omar Sakr- a debut anthology of poems inspired by life in Western Sydney living in a broken family.

'Blood Dazzler' by Patricia Smith- an anthology of docu-poems inspired by Hurricane Katrina.

'Untwisted' by Paul Jennings- a memoir from the celebrated Australian children's author.

'Worse Things' by Sally Murphy -a verse novel a touching and inspirational story about the things that binds us all.

'The Song Remains The Same' by Andrew Ford & Anni Heino -an review of 800 years of love songs, lullabies and laments.

'The Surgeon of Crowsthorne' by Simon Winchester -a true story of a murder, madness and the development of the Oxford English Dictionary.

'The Keeper of Wild Words' by Brooke Smith - a picture story book. Words, the nearby woods and the world illuminate this quest to preserve all those important words found in wild places.

'Windows' by Patrick Guest -a picture story book about life in Covid lockdown from the perspective of windows -looking out and looking in.

'Wilam -A Birrarung' Story by Aunty Joy Murphy & Andrew Kelly -a picture story book regarding the natural inhabitants of Aboriginal land close to the city of Melbourne. The story is related in English and traditional Woiwurrung language. 

Earlier this week while visiting a book shop in Lorne, Victoria, I stumbled upon these gems of books. Can't wait to share them with family, teachers and curious young learners...


Even if the books you are currently reading, or intend to read next, are not suitable for students to read at this point in their reading lives, it is still important to discuss what you are reading. Students need to hear us value our respective reading lives.

I want to make it patently clear to students that as a writer, my reading life is vital to the writing I do. Such pieces of knowledge remain forever safe when shared with your students…

Daniel Pennac presents a passionate defence of reading for pleasure,
 reminding us of our right to read anything, anywhere, at any time. 









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