1/8 When I was a middle school ELA teacher, I was reprimanded for letting my students self select books & for setting aside most of 1 day a week for silent sustained reading. My detractors used words like "rigor" & "canon" & "literary merit." 2/8 I did have a strong ally, though--the school librarian. She explained that my students were the only ones who regularly used the library, who were actively discovering what they loved.