(New Year’s Eve seems a perfect time to think about the goals we have for the year ahead. To think about where we want to grow and what we need to do to get there. In my usual tradition, my main goals each year have to do with fitness and exercise…)
So, I am not a runner. This is not a surprise to anyone who knows me. But the thing is, I have been fascinated for years by runners, and I have toyed with becoming one. I actually have all of the knowledge necessary to become a runner. I have read many, many books about running. I subscribed to the print version of Runner’s World for years, and I currently get their daily emails. I subscribe to several blogs on running and follow some of the running news. I buy shoes at running stores and sometimes just hang out there. I listen closely when my running friends are talking about training for races, running injuries, etc. I have just never gotten around to actually…running.
A few weeks ago, I was with a group of friends. One was getting ready to run his first half-marathon. He was talking about the gel packets he would have with him to keep up his energy. I knew all about these and was able to explain them to our non-runner friends. They were amazed that I (a non-runner) understood about race food.
A week later, I was in a conversation with a different group of friends who had run the Chicago Marathon. They were talking about women in running skirts and I had remembered reading all about those on ANOTHER MOTHER RUNNER (http://anothermotherrunner.com/) blog, a blog I read regularly since reading their book, RUN LIKE A MOTHER. On their blog, I learned that running skirts are all the rage. Women runners either hate them or love them. No happy medium. In the midst of this conversation with my runner friends, I wanted to jump in with some thoughts I had about running skirts. But then I remembered that I was not a runner and I did not have the credibility to talk about running skirts with real runners.
I have been in several conversations lately that have reminded me how very much I know about running. I sometimes actually “know” more about running than my running friends. These are conversations that I am not quite comfortable participating in because I am not a runner. I am not part of the club. I just watch from the sidelines.
No matter how much knowledge I have, I cannot call myself a runner. Running is not part of my life. I could probably not even run to the mailbox and back (and my driveway is not very long.) But here is the thing that I can’t stop thinking about: I am certain I could pass a test on running. I am certain that I could probably pass a test at a higher level than most of my runner friends could. I have a lot of knowledge and understanding about running and feel confident about doing well on a test about running.
I keep thinking about this and acknowledging the fact that knowing a lot about running is not the same as running. This knowledge might end up becoming important if I ever become a runner and it does help me in some conversations. But what good does that do me, really? When I don’t actually run? When I am not part of the club?
How different this is compared to my life as a reader. Even though I attained a nearly perfect score on Tony Keefer’s quiz, “You Might be a Nerdy Book Clubber if…” (http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/you-might-be-a-nerdy-book-clubber-if), I don’t need anyone to tell me I am a part of the Nerdy Book Club. I don’t worry that some members read more than I do or that some members read faster than I do. I don’t worry about joining conversations that I have no business participating in. Even weeks when I can’t fit in a book, I know I am a reader. Reading is a huge part of my life and I don’t feel the need to prove that to anyone.
One of my favorite things about my job as a school librarian is that kids stop me in the hall constantly, mentioning a book they finished or one they want to read. They tell me the page number they are on or an author they’ve discovered. Sometimes I wonder if reading is the only thing they think they can talk to me about. Then I realize that it is at those times that they see me as a fellow club member; that they know I will understand their need to share their reading lives.
But I also see kids trying to get into the club. Standing on the edges of these conversations. Checking books back into the library with a bookmark about 1/3 of the way through, never having been finished. These kids seem to get excited when someone mentions an author they know. But they don’t feel confident joining the conversations. They don’t see themselves as readers.
This year, I’ve bumped into lots of past students – students I taught in 4th and 5th grades who have recently graduated. It is so fun to see what they ended up doing, which passions they discovered. They tend to tell me all of that, and then often mention what/if they are reading. They know I’ll wonder and that no matter which career path they’ve chosen to follow, that I still hope they are lifelong members of the Nerdy Book Club. I like to believe that I was one of the people who first invited them to be part of this club.
Each of us was invited into the club by someone who wanted us to be part of the fun. We saw something that we wanted to be a part of and there were lots of people in our lives who made joining the Nerdy Book Club possible. As a teacher, I know this takes commitment and hard work. I know it means giving kids great books, time to read, a reading community to be a part of, and instruction that moves them forward as readers.
So in 2012 I have two goals. I am going to be very deliberate in helping every child become part of the Nerdy Book Club. I am going to watch carefully to see which students feel confidently part of this club and which are standing along the sidelines wishing to be part of it all. I’m going to try to give them the support they need to become lifelong members.
And, of course, in 2012….I am going to actually run.
Go for it! Runners are OCD like Nerdy Book Club members! I can say that because I joined the runners club almost 2 years ago. Try the Couch to 5K plan to get started. Love your thoughts on helping all students “join the club”–should be a priority for all of us.
Franki — I have some similar running/non-running perspectives, but I’ll save those for another time.
As a high school teacher, I’m trying to re-awaken that reading nerdiness that so many of my students seem to have lost in middle school.
There is nothing better than hearing an 18-year old senior say, “I haven’t finished a book since fourth grade, but I just read Robin Wasserman’s Hacking Harvard. What should I read next?” And before I can even answer, the girl sitting behind him says, “You need to read A Child Call It.” And the next day he shows up with that book.
Thanks for this post, and for all you do to promote reading.
This is a wonderful post, Franki. Like Gary, I’m constantly working with my freshmen to bring former readers back to reading and working to create readers. I see so many students sitting on the sidelines curious about reading and what it’s like to be part of the club. I love graphic novels for this reason because it’s a less intimidating way to introduce a sideline student to the wonderful world of reading.
Thank you for writing this post and for getting kids to read!
Love this post, Franki. I too long to be a runner, and even follow the same blog you were referring to. And I loved the comparison to our readers lurking on the fringe. I think it is an excellent goal to help every child be part of the Nerdy Book Club, how amazing that would be.
“I keep thinking about this and acknowledging the fact that knowing a lot about running is not the same as running. This knowledge might end up becoming important if I ever become a runner and it does help me in some conversations. But what good does that do me, really? When I don’t actually run? When I am not part of the club?”
Great post, Franki! I share your goal in 2012 to be deliberate about helping kids become part of the Nerdy Book Club.
When I read your quote above, I started thinking not only of kids but of fellow reading teachers who are in the stadium but not on the track…in the vicinity of the marathon but not actively running…in the reading classroom but not part of the Nerdy Book Club–not actively involved in a reading life.
So I add a goal in 2012 to be deliberate about helping another teacher (or two or three) to become part of the Nerdy Book Club. Just think how many more readers we could bring into the club if that were to happen!
Very well-written. I was also a non-runner too. I used to proudly tell my husband that all I think about while running is when can I stop?
Almost a year later, I’m 3 weeks out from my first half marathon. I never thought I could get to this point and even though my goal is to not get picked up by the race truck and driven to the end (hehe), I am excited to accomplish this goal. So from one non-runner to the next, I know you can do it if you really give it a try! Even though you probably know more than I ever will, make sure you start out slow. I’ve gone too far too fast so many times before, but what made the difference for me this time was gradually increasing speed and distance by using Couch to 5k and then to 10k. It really helped me a lot. Good luck!
I’m excited for you to start running, Franki! I like to combine both passions by listening to audio books while I run:)
I’m impressed you can listen to audiobooks while you run, Colby. I’m a failure when it comes to books/podcasts on the run. I have to listen to extra-cheesy pop music.
Maybe I should try some cheesy pop music on my next run. Are you suggesting Backstreet Boys and N*SYNC?
Great post! I’m not a runner anymore, I was in high school. Too many injuries to knees, ankles and feet make me a walker now. Love to walk and read (only with a spouse so I don’t walk into traffic), or walk and listen to audio books. As a teacher it is great when a parent comes up and says, “I don’t know what you did to my kid but we have to pry the books out of their hand to get them to come to dinner. Used to be we couldn’t get them to pick up a book”. I believe that our passion and enthusiasm for books shines through.
A wonderful post. Good luck with both of your goals!
Franki, I really appreciate this wonderful post. I, too, have been wanting very much to be a runner. I admire them and their motivation. And, like you, I don’t doubt at all that I am a reader. Your post helps me see that both interests can coexist! And you are inspiring me to finally run as well. More importantly, your post helped me think of all those students who don’t feel like they’re a part of the reading club, and how much they want to be a part of it. I join you in both your 2012 goals.
This is jut so beautifully written. I know you will bring many more young readers into the midst of Nerdy Book Club membership. And oh, the joy in that. Then you can run by them as they head home with their noses in a book or their bags heavy with new possibilities and it will give you an extra spring in your step! Happy 2012!
Love it! I too want to invite and welcome those kids right into the Nerdy Book Club. It’s such a great place to be.
I’m also a slacking runner right now. When I was about 35 I joined a “class” sponsored by a running club. They met once a week for about 8 weeks to get us ready for a 5 mile race. I have been running ever since. 5ks are my favorites, but I have done multiple 1/2 marathons and 2 full marathons too. Never ever would have thought I would do that. Like Colby, sometimes I listen to books while I run to mix the two. Have a great time this year meeting your goals! I just need to start running again. I have been taking a break. Thanks for the inspiration. I think I will go running this afternoon.
Wow…I giggled through the first part of your post because it sounded like me. I am also doing goal setting for the coming year and have “get fit” as one of my top priorities. While I read a ton about fitness, know all sorts of programs, and know the foods I should eat, I am still on the periphery of actually “being fit.” I so want to join that club. This post opened my eyes to what my struggling readers are also doing. They know what reading should look like, and sometimes they “look” like readers, but aren’t quite there yet. They desperately want to join the “readers club”. I am going to make another goal this year to be more aware of those readers and to do my best to welcome them into the Nerdy Book Club. Each time they struggle, it will remind me of my daily struggle to get fit. And boy…think of how proud we will be when we accomplish those goals!!
Do it! I didn’t start running until I was 40, and ran my first 5k this spring with Girls on the Run. I’m in Westerville! We can meet up and run… In April or so. I’ve been slacking ever since cross country season finished. I helped coach our middle school team. There is hope. Start small, and it gets easier very quickly. Good luck!
Franki: thanks for reading our book. Love your nerdy book club as well. You’ve got this…if you want it. (And it certainly sounds like you do…) And you’ve got some help on the way: Train Like a Mother has 9 training plans in it, for beginners to speedsters and from 5k to marathon. One has your name on it.
Happy new year. Dimity
“…great books, time to read, a reading community to be a part of, and instruction that moves them forward as readers.” I want to post this all around my classroom as a constant reminder of what matters most!
Wow! Thanks everyone for the kind words and the encouragement to give running a real try. So glad to be part of this club. Happy 2012!
Love this post, Franki. And, run, baby, run! Just do it.