Improve Literacy and Cut the Librarian

We live in an age when the word "literacy" is the equivalent of educational gold.  All teachers need to use it -- so instead of working on actual art and delving into the actual creative process, teachers need to add a reading -- literacy -- component to their work.

Swell.

Why then do the jobs of librarian so often wind up on the chopping block?  Ask kids in inner city schools -- the kids who do not generally have money in their budget to buy books -- what they think is important and they'll mention the need for a good library that they have access to.

So, why do principals who supposedly embrace literacy get rid of the librarian?  Is it because they think that job can be done by anyone?  Is it because they feel the need to up the technology budget?  Whatever it is, it makes no sense.

At my old school in Brooklyn, students were not allowed in the building without a book.  No one stopped those kids to even ask them about the book they were reading.  I caught an 8th grade boy reading 50 Shades of Grey; I caught a 5th grader using the book The Things They Carried as his pass to enter the building.

My principal's policy of using a book to gain entry to the building must have looked damn fine on paper.  It was a joke in real life.  But no one cared.

Well, no one cared until the literacy scores came in.  Then the teachers were yelled at for poor scores.  All the kids need is a book -- and access to it.

Go out and hire more librarians.  Have them get kids involved in the LOVE of reading.  Have them start book groups -- for students AND teachers.  (Frankly, I find it suspect to work with teachers who claim they are too busy to read.  ?????)

Connect Kids to Good Books

I used to love teaching To Kill a Mockingbird.  Unfortunately, after my time in Brooklyn, I realize that it's a very difficult book for weak readers.  Why make them read it?

Okay, I made an error.  It's a great book.  But it's only great to read if you are a strong reader.  Too few students are strong enough to wade through Scout's long-winded considerations about the Southern culture in which she lives.  It's a bygone era that fails to engage current readers who have difficulty imagining what's happening.

If we really want students to be able to read the classics, we need to give them surer footing.  A great way to do that is to offer current books.  That means having a budget to pay for new books and to hire teachers who are readers (who else will recommend these books after all?).  When I was in an all-boys classroom, I spent time with some readers.  I strongly recommended Edward Bloor's book Tangerine (and gave copies to those interested), and a funny thing happened:  the boys read the book and liked it.  I read The Crossover by Kwame Alexander to my class -- they sat and listened!  Imagine if we took the time and money to engage kids with reading they wanted to do.

Special classes are often on the chopping block when it comes to tight budgets.  On the surface it appears that in our climate of testing, it's okay to shave art and music from the budget.  It's been my experience, however, that these cuts are hurting students.  When asked to read a passage about the skills needed to forge a piece of art, it would be helpful for students to know the artist who is being forged and the techniques one would use to paint such a forgery.

Anyway, I believe that we need to put literacy in the front of our minds.  Tech seems to reign supreme, but it can't hold a candle to a good book.