Reading is...

Last spring, during our poetry unit, inspired by Baseball Is... by Louise Borden, I asked my 7th graders to write a "Something Is..." poem.

After everyone shared in class, I was extremely glad I had done this poem with my students because I was impressed with what they came up with. An idea that allows them choice in topic so they can write about something they know + a strong mentor text = powerful results.

Of course, since they were doing it, I needed to also, so I wrote a "Something Is..." poem, too. When brainstorming my list of things to write about, the one that stuck with me the most was reading, so that's what I went with and let my thoughts and words take me where they would.

Reading is…

getting lost

in stories

finding an escape

from the everyday

Reading is…

having a fresh start

every time

I crack the spine

and turn to

the first page

with a held breath

of anticipation

Reading is…

finding myself

in the pages

of a book

discovering

who I am

who I want to be

Reading is…

getting my acceptance letter

to Hogwarts

jumping on the train

at Platform 9 ¾

finding friends

family

my truth

and bravery

in a world I didn’t know

I could dream up

that J.K. Rowling showed me

I can

Reading is…

gasping

laughing

crying

cheering

swooning

yelling at

rooting for

learning with

and from

the characters

I grow to love

Reading is…

fairy tale castles

summer at the beach

outer space

deep in the ocean

around the corner

far from home

on the other side of the world

mythical lands

adventures

I visit

through the worlds

found in

the pages of a book

and my imagination

Reading is…

writers who become

authors

with agents to push for them

editors to guide them

copyeditors to correct them

designers who create covers

publicists who tell everyone

marketing, printers, publishers

booksellers, librarians, teachers

friends all supporting

that book

and recommending others read it

Reading is…

going to a mall

The Exit 8 Big Top Mall & Video Arcade

open 365 days a year

meeting Ivan

and Stella

and Ruby

and Bob

and Julia

and George

hoping for the best

while fearing the worst

and holding back tears

of sorrow

and joy

having Katherine Applegate’s

words

touch my soul

and teach me more

about humanity

and kindness

and people

than I thought

a book could

Reading is…

the way I experience lives

hundreds

thousands of lives

beyond

the one I live

that I carry

with me

always

Reading is…

what I turn to

when I need

to be alone

to find hope

to get answers

to learn things

to take a break

to discover inspiration

to know

I am

not

alone

in this world

Reading is…

letters swarming

words swaggering

sentences slithering

paragraphs sailing

steadily across

the pages

Reading is…

late nights

when I

just

can’t

stop

turning the pages

until I can’t

keep my eyes open

any longer

struggling to

so I can know

what happens

next

Reading is…

covers and

jackets and

spines and

pages and

acknowledgements and

dedications and

titles and

blurbs and

stories

Reading is…

getting lost

being found

finding escape

discovering hope

opening eyes

seeing myself

experiencing others

knowing more

figuring out

Reading is…

what you make of it

when you embrace it

What would the topic of your "Something Is..." poem be?

Why Do I Love Reading?

I've been thinking about this for awhile, ever since reading students' beginning of the year surveys and seeing that one of the questions they had for me is about why I like reading, and I was trying to figure out how best to explain how I feel. I think this poem does it.

Why Do I Love Reading?

Why do I love reading?
Because it takes me
to other places
Because it lets me
escape from this world
when I want a break
Because it entertains me
in so very many ways
Because it lets me
experience things I might not
otherwise
outside of a book

Why do I love reading?
Because it helps me learn
about myself
and the world around me
and my place
in it
Because it lets me live
so many lives
other than the one
I have been given

Why do I love reading?
Because it helps me know
I am not alone
Because it lets me know
that other people have
experienced what I have
felt like I have
loved like I have
cried like I have
wanted like I have
laughed like I have
struggled like I have
and thought like I have
Because it lets me know
that people have done
all of those things
in ways I could never
imagine
and helps me understand
those around me

My students ask
Why do you love reading?
and it's not a simple answer
because it's so much more
than just a book
it's so much more
than just words on a page
it's so much more
than just sentences put together
it's so much more
important to me

Why do I love reading?
Because I know it saves kids
Because it gives them an outlet
Because it helps them see
different ways to live
and it helps them see
ways not to live
and it helps them imagine
what they might do
in a situation
so that they don't
have to experience it
for themselves

Why do I love reading?
Because it helps my students
escape from
the struggles of adolescence
Because it helps them
do something that can be
enjoyable
Because it gives them
a safe outlet
something to
spend time on
that will help them
grow

Why do I love reading?
Because it helps me know
about people
Because it helps me know
about the world
Because it helps me
develop empathy
and
insight and
knowledge and
experience and
hope and
it lets me become
a better person

Because I Read What My Students Read

Today I was still feeling the joy from what I got to share with my students yesterday. I shared in the anger at an ending, sadness at a character dying, shock at a surprise twist, and swooning over a guy - all in the books that my students are reading. I realized this morning, when they cheered at breakfast when they heard we'd be reading for a large amount of time in class today, that I have built the community I have because I read the same books my students read. That thought sat in my head all day...and resulted in this poem tonight.

Because I Read What My Students Read

Because I read what my students read
I can do my job better
I can recommend books
to specific students
meeting their interests
growing readers

Because I read what my students read
there are days
when students can't get into my room fast enough
to tell me about what they read the night before
and share in the emotion
from that part of that story

Because I read what my students read
I can hook readers
with hints at what lies
inside the pages of that book
they've taken off the shelf
considering
but unsure
if it's the book for them

Because I read what my students read
I can match students
to books just right for them
based on what they need
in their lives at that time
or what kind of mood
they're in
or what topic
they want to read about
or how ready they are
for a certain topic

Because I read what my students read
I can share excitement
over a favorite story
I can share the frustration
over a cliffhanger

ending
I can share in the reactions
to the moments contained
within those pages
expanding their minds
I can share in the swooning
over certain characters
I can share in the desire
to have that character be real
and a friend
I can share in the tears
when something happens
in their lives
and in their books

Because I read what my students read
I know how they're feeling
with just a look
just a word
just a glance at a page
just a peek at a title
knowing what they're experiencing
because I have
too

Because I read what my students read
I don't have to have read the exact book
to relate to being a reader
of middle grades or young adult
I can empathize
and understand
what that reading
experience
must be like

But because I read what my students read
when I have read that specific book
and lived within that story
it creates an even more powerful
connection
rapport
of being a reader
and making recommendations
earning trust
to know what they might need

And because I read what my students read
when something happens in their lives
whether big or small
whether happy or sad
whether right or wrong
I turn to books
to let them know I care
to help them see how to cope
to let them know I am there
for them
to help them see another path
and I turn to the stories
on those pages
to help my students get through
their struggles
and celebrate
their successes

Because I read what my students read
I am a reader
teaching and growing
more readers