Let's Build a Community of Readers

By Caitlin Saras 
Literacy Instructional Coach, Lewiston High School
MCELA Executive Board

This might be a little different from what you’re expecting. Articles about reading and writing are published everywhere, teaching our students to read and write and highlighting the importance of reading to our children at home. Yes, these things are incredibly important. But I want to take a moment to remind us of the importance of reading for fun for ourselves.  

This is as much a reminder for myself as it is for our community of teachers. Summer--with its (slightly) more laid-back pace--is usually when I tear through the books that pile up during the spring. During the school year, it’s a different story. The workday leaves me tired and there’s still more work to do at home. Other obligations are pressing for my time. The thrillers and literary fiction I love so much feel like too much to handle on a weeknight. It took me over a month to finish Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods, even though I’d been dying to read it and was hooked the minute I started it (I do recommend it, by the way).    
There are plenty of articles out there about the mental and physical health benefits of reading. We already know that it helps us connect and feel empathy with others. NAMI California cites a study done by the University of Sussex that found reading can reduce stress up to 68% (2020). Reducing stress, even for a few minutes, helps our bodies and brains take a breath and let go. We also have many options for reading now. I am a fan of physical books, but e-readers and audiobooks make it easier than ever to take this time to unwind.  

My love of reading is what brought me to the world of teaching English, and I know that I feel better when I go back to that love of reading for fun at home. I feel myself unwind with some quiet music and a book, and it gives me something to think about other than the stressors and unfinished to-do lists of the day. The Peach Cobbler Murder might not be groundbreaking, but it’s a light read in my favorite genre that is currently helping me relax before bed.  

And even though these thoughts are about us reading for fun, I do also think about how reading for fun translates to the classroom. What are our conversations with students like around reading for fun? Are we modeling reading practices during independent reading or book group reading time? Why do we expect students to like reading in any form when we don’t show that we do too? There’s not a one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to this, but modeling the practices we use in our own lives can help inspire students to a love of reading.

I want to encourage you, myself, and all of us who see students each day to set aside a few minutes a few days a week to get ourselves back into the habit of reading for fun. What genres make you happy? What have you heard good things about? Is there something you’d like to reread? 
Grab that eye-catching title at the store and reactivate your Audible subscription. Let’s work towards building back to a widespread community of readers rediscovering their love of reading.    
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“Why Reading Is Good for Mental Health.” NAMI California, 23 Dec. 2020,
    namica.org/blog/why-reading-is-good-for-mental-health/.