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We are hoping to build our classroom library with books that students get to choose and truly want to read. So, to start the school year, we would like to purchase a book for each of our Excel students to be able to read during their down time while in Excel. Our students come to us to receive both academic and social/emotional support through counseling.
Students, and adults, often retreat to their cell phone and/or device whenever they have a free moment to spare. We are hoping to instill a love for reading and there is no better way to do than for a person to pick what they want to read. Often in school, the books are chosen for you (or maybe you get a choice of 2 or 3) but rarely do you get to decide want you want to read and the pace at which you are expected to do so. This program allows for students to find joy in reading when they have downtime in place of endless scrolling on their phones. We have a cell phone pocket holder for students to leave their phones and remove the distraction from them. The phones and as we know, social media in particular, can result in more negative feelings and behaviors than positive ones. What we would like to do is build our library with new books, titles, and authors that the students want to engage with and step away from the pull of their device.
About five years ago, we received a similar grant but we would like this year’s group of kids who have spent the last 2-3 years all day of screens to have new books that they excited to read. Kristen and I are excited to see a group of students have a different outlet than their phones when they are stressed, need an outlet, or are just interested in a new topic to go a book of their choosing.
While there are books in the school library, this is a classroom library. Therefore, these books will not go home. Nor will students ask to go to the library and then come back emptyhanded after searching for books and having the excuse that they couldn’t find anything that they liked. Unfortunately, the library doesn’t have the ability to just purchase books for only our students that would be kept in the Excel program. With the books staying in Excel, there is also a chance for more of a community in the classroom where students can recommend books to each other or even just see that a peer read a certain book and maybe they will try that one next. Ideally, Kristen and I would be able to pick out a few additional books that our population may benefit even more from as well, which is an opportunity for us to recommend a certain book to a student who might need more guidance into a topic or area given their needs or profile.
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