Sometimes it's the little things | Mentoring in the Middle

Sometimes it's the little things

I think it's only hit me this week, really, that tomorrow is the last day of school.  I have so enjoyed my students this year, and I've wanted to use every precious minute to explore reading with them.  I just wasn't ready to acknowledge that our time together was almost over.

I've had so much fun watching them grow in their love of books and my hope was for them to realize that the love of books they'd nurtured this year didn't have to stop on June 10th, when school ended.    We tallied up the number of books all 75 students had read last Thursday. 

DRUMROLL PLEASE.....2,435 books!

That's 32 and a half books per kid!

Rest assured, there were some kids who only read 10 or 12, but that was countered by a half dozen who read between 50 and 70, one who read 93 (her goal was to get to 100!) and one who read 124.  But I was blown away by the number of kids who challenged themselves to reach that goal of 25.





Here are some comments a couple of students wrote to me last week.

This student wrote: "At the beginning of the year I thought I could only read 7 books (at the beginning of the year.)  Now there's 4.5 days left and I read 30 books...I also liked how you set a goal for me to read to before you met with me again." 









And this one wrote:  "Over the past summers I haven't read a book, but I think this year when I walk out of these doors on the 10th, I think I will read one or more books.  You really got me interested in reading."








Sometimes it's the little things like this that make me happy I chose to become a teacher.

For those of you who are still teaching, enjoy your last few days or weeks!  And for those of you already enjoying some rest away from the classroom, I can't wait to join you!


2 comments

  1. That is an impressive number of books! Congratulations to you and your class.

    Mary
    Fit to be Fourth

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    1. Thanks, Mary. I give all the credit to Donalyn Miller's book, The Book Whisperer. Reading that last summer encouraged me just to jump in and set some goals for my kids. I thought 25 books would be good (her goal is 40!). I did carve out reading time in class most days, which got them hooked and motivated them to take their books home to finish! Having reading time in class was huge, I think.
      Marion

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