Do you (or your kids) remember participating in the Pizza Hut reading programs? As I look at the book covers decorating my windows, it occurs to me that I would have earned a boatload of pepperoni.
The reasoning behind this decor is two-fold:
- Inspire students to to find new books and see what other people are reading
- To remind me what I’ve read (seriously, I cannot keep it straight, nor can I remember who wrote what).
That being said, I am running out of room.
And I’m definitely starting to have trouble seeing out.
You may be asking, why are you using up all your laminating and blocking your view of the library? Well, I want to model reading for pleasure for my students in the hopes that they ALL become enthusiastic readers. (Dream big, amirite?) As I am looking towards next year, I wonder if this is the most effective way to share the books I’ve read. I have seen students standing outside my window with their heads tipped back as if they are attending an air show, so I know it’s being used. I’ve also encouraged fellow faculty and staff to display what they are reading as well. The most frequent question I get is, “Is it okay if it’s not YA?” YES! Sometimes it’s even more meaningful for students to see teachers and staff reading from all genres and age-groups.
How do you share what you are reading with your community? And perhaps more urgently, what do you think I should do when I run out of room?
Between your author day and book promotion, your students have a wealth of information to help them select books. Great ideas.
Thank you, Cathy!
I love this, Reba – what a wonderful public celebration of what has been read! (I too had trouble keeping tracking of my own reading, so started an IG account a few years ago – I reference it often!)
I love this! In my library (US 9-12) I have the good fortune of a digital screen so I play slideshow called “What We’re Reading.” About once a month I solicit our faculty for what they are reading at the moment, and each faculty member (and when I’m lucky, our Head of School and Principal join in, too) gets a slide with the book cover and their name. Students and faculty check in out all the time. It requires a screen, but takes up less space! It’s also more ephemera, since it changes monthly–though sometimes faculty come in to tell me they’ve finished the book on the screen and tell me their new one even before I ask!