Thread by @juliaerin80

Just had all the 10th graders from one school come through. They haven't had access to a school library in 5 years. We talked about shaming one another for book choices, how to find books in the library, what happens if you start reading a book and then decide you don't like it.

We also talked about leveling as a tool for teachers and not a way for students to classify themselves or each other, start feeling bad if the books you like are, "on your level".

I wonder how much things would change if people paid more attention to the role of shame and guilt as a barrier to learning and our evolution as humanity. It's so unnecessary, and the fact that the school system has these weapons built into the learning process is inexcusable.

So many kids have been scared to check out books because they lost a book years ago and spent YEARS believing they could never check another one out.

And yet, students in our school are tested endlessly....on reading and writing...fed that deficit language that tries to get them to internalize the fact that they will never be where "other kids" are in terms of reading and writing fluency.

Plenty of teachers reinforce that idea because they are told they are responsible for a school failing when kids don't pass tests...We know children without any kind of positive relationship to books or reading never had a fair chance at a lot of things literacy related.

Several children today looked astonished they could take the books home. At the end of their time they honestly thought they could only keep the books if they left them here at school...

But...we have an amazing Spanish language collection, incredible graphic novels (very proud of my ordering this year if I may say so) and so many other books kids were excited about. That has to be the silver lining...

Still every time a group of students (who will openly say they hate reading and don't identify as readers) comes through the library, I get heated because I know this is all by design.

The injustice of it all is just gross...and happening more places than this one...and so many people just don't know. Here's a little reading...

forbes.com/sites/adamrowe…

And a little hope. One of these has started up in Denver and I'm excited.
estelitaslibrary.com