Our school community of learners must be valued as readers because reading exercises a person’s mind, improves concentration, vocabulary skills, the child’s ability to write, and develops a child’s imagination. February is “I Love to Read Month,” each year, the Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg encourages educators to promote reading, writing, and sharing the joy of literacy. The theme this year is” Our Voices are Unique”. Sharing our own stories and listening to others’ stories can promote different perspectives.
We can teach students to read for personal enjoyment and help them develop a love for books by conveying a love of literature by reading and discussing it with them. Teachers’ and librarians’ goal is to expose students to a wide variety of books by many authors.
Displaying books using current titles and featuring authors are ways I have noticed libraries generating buzz and interest in books in the schools where I am a guest teacher for the day and when visiting teacher candidates as a Practicum Advisor for the B.Ed program.
If the students see that their teachers value reading, it will encourage them to find value in accessing information for personal enrichment and learning.
During my years as a teacher, I valued choice reading because it encouraged lifelong readers; therefore, our ELA department collected numerous books for our classroom libraries so that our students had access to diverse books that covered a multitude of topics, including fantasy and mystery, love, friendship, family relationships, LGBTQ, and the classics. In addition, there are also non-fiction books that explore various individuals’ life stories, scientific research, history, and travel.
Uncommon Beauty in Writing 