Book buddies

Ruth Ayers has encouraged us to CELEBRATE more often, so this week, I'm joining in!

As a reading intervention teacher, I work hard to grow readers in my classroom.  I always have more than a handful of students who tell me right away, "You know, I hate to read."

My response runs from "We need to find you the right kind of book!" to "I understand ... I'm no good at running, so I hate to run."

I encourage students to read at home everyday, but for a variety of reasons, it's something that doesn't happen.  Instead of being discouraged, I "hired" book buddies.

I visited two 4th grade rooms and described the book buddy position.  I encouraged students to sign up if they felt they could do a good job.

"Do I have to be a great reader?" one asked.
"No, you need to be a great listener," I replied.

I had to pull names from a hat when the volunteer list came back.  I was so tickled to see the long list of names.  My first and second grade students were impatient once they saw I had a list of names.

"Who do I get?  Is it a boy?"
"I can read with three girls, really!"
"Can't we start TODAY?"

This was our first week of reading with buddies.  I'm already seeing a difference in my resource students' confidence and stamina.  I won't beat myself up for not thinking of this sooner, but why didn't I think of this sooner?

December can be a stressful and hectic month.  I'm grateful to have something simple -- yet making a big impact --  to celebrate!