My apologies, I've been away from my blog far too long. Please note, however, the title of my blog does reference reading and I 've been doing a lot of reading. Reading student essays, reading Venn diagrams, reading books assigned by my principal, and reading my Kindle Paperwhite that is loaded with several dozen "escape routes" to last a few months.

Reading is an escape for me. An escape from the hustle and bustle that occupies most my waking moments. Most school days I am able to squeeze in a chapter or two from my current read while my students are also reading independently. When I do return home I don't often have the time to read during the evening, but I always read at least thirty minutes before turning out the light each night. I am absolutely certain (because I've tried it a couple of times) that I will not be able to sleep without reading first. Lately I just open up one of my books on the Kindle, however there are also stacks of books and magazines on the bedside table so my reading moods can be easily met.

I wish ALL of my students had similar desires to read. I force it on them, assigning reading minutes as homework and having independent reading built into our class time. I've noticed, however, that fewer and fewer students are really reading. Oh sure, they have a book in their hands, but they've been "reading" the same book since September. They have the homework minutes written in their planners, but when I ask them to write a paragraph about their current reading selection they are totally stumped. I suspect the minutes for several are not truly accurate.

I model my joy for reading constantly. Often during our independent reading time I will laugh out loud at the words on my page. I will close the book with visible reluctance with the timer goes off. I will talk about how I cannot wait to return to that same book later.

I carefully select books for my classroom library hoping that the variety will spark interest in each and everyone. (I have approximately one thousand books in my classroom library.) If I don't have what a student is looking for and our school media center also comes up blank, I will order a copy. (Thank you www.amazon.com for your used "Like New" book selections!) I would sooner buy a book for a student to read than I would buy chocolate for my sweet tooth.

Clearly I am passionate about reading. I am certain reading is the key to success. (I can find research to support me on that. e.g. The Truth About Outside Reading: Why It's Important and What to Read) So help me out, what can I do that will convince the reluctant pre-teen/early teen that they should be reading, reading, reading?