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I Resolve to Read
I am known as an avid reader and a teacher who expects my students to read a lot. I read over 600 books in 2011. It’s not midnight and I am still reading, so I prefer to leave that final count open to possibility. I have friends who read more than me, and friends who read less. I don’t have any non-reading friends, which speaks volumes about me, I suppose.
How many books my students and I rack up in a year isn’t important to me, though. When I think about the books I read in 2011, what matters are the faces I remember. I see Lucky Linderman with a raw scrape down one cheek. I see Louis Zamperini’s hollowed, starved eyes. I see Mattie Breen peeking out of a janitor’s closet. I see Miss New Mexico with an airline tray wedged in her forehead.
I see faces outside of the books, too. I see Ethan, standing at my desk, impatiently waiting for me to stamp our new copy of Amulet #4, so he can borrow it. I see my student teacher, Malorie, wearing a fake mustache and reading Mac Barnett’s Mustache! in honor of Mustache Day. I see dear friends, passing around Mary Lee’s copy of Dude: Fun with Dude and Betty at last summer’s All Write Conference, so we could all share it as our Book-a-Day title. I see Colby, Terry, and Jen sporting pointy red hats. I see my oldest granddaughter, Emma, begging me to read A Dog Is a Dog for the seventh time in a row.
Looking back at my reading life in 2011, I don’t regret anything. The books I abandoned, my tower of unread books, the overflowing basket of bookstore receipts, my unloved Kindle, the library’s audio CD of Runemarks I lost. I could consider these artifacts of reading failure or at least room for improvement, but I don’t. I don’t apologize for my reading habits. I just live to read another day. My reading life doesn’t begin on January 1st and end on December 31st, anyway. My reading life begins anew each time I open another book.
I can look for that CD tomorrow.
I have no idea how my reading life will evolve in the next twelve months. It’s a mystery. I do know that I will be a different person at the end of 2012 than I am now, and the books I read will play a role in that change.
Here is what I know with certainty about my reading life in 2012. A book will break my heart and rebuild it. I will find the perfect book for a particular child at the right time. I will read about bravery and chickens (perhaps in the same book). I will discover things about myself I didn’t know.
I imagine that some days I won’t read anything at all. If that happens for too many days in a row, I will get cranky. My husband will look up from his iPad and tell me to go read something (he plans to reread the first 40 years of X-Men comics).
This week, several nerdy readers have announced their personal reading goals and invited other readers to join them. Click on the bloggers’ names for details about each challenge. Colby Sharp and John Schumacher will attempt to read every Newbery Medal winner in their Nerdbery challenge. The Nerdcott challenge led by K-8 Library Media Specialist, Laura Given, will read every Caldecott Medal winner and honor book. Middle school librarian, Kathy Burnette, at The Brain Lair blog created a Printz of the Past challenge (nicknamed Nerdprintz, of course) setting the goal to read every Printz Award winner and honor book. Kathy has announced several reading challenges that sound intriguing this week, so check other posts on her blog. (It was impossible to link to every blogger participating in these challenges, so please add your links in the comments.)
I plan to participate in all three Nerd challenges, but I forgive myself in advance for bailing on Shen of the Sea (1926 Newbery winner).
Please share your reading goals for yourself and the children in your lives. You might inspire us to join you or create a reading challenge of our own.
On Tuesday, when my students return to school, we will reflect on our reading lives over the past year and plan ahead. Whether my students decide to read more books, or finish that series they never did, or spend a little more time reading every night, or reread The Hunger Games before the movie comes out in March, they will all commit in some way to continuing their reading lives in 2012. How and what and when we read doesn’t matter as much as our willingness to keep reading. That’s the only reading resolution we need.
For my part, I resolve to lead my students to books and show them how to find their way back without me.
I hope you have a wonderful reading year in 2012.
-Donalyn Miller
Nerdy Book Club 
How appropriate the first “reading” piece awaiting me on the computer this first day of 2012 is an encouraging challenge by The Book Whisperer. Thank you, Donalyn, for the words I needed to hear, the encouragement you give. I have been feeling rather discouraged about my low numbers in reading for 2011; truthfully, I don’t know the number per se, but I know the number is down due to circumstances at work like lack of funding…but you have helped me adjust my attitude, to remember how I am changed for the better by the books I DID read! I’m now spending part of today readjusting my thinking on my approach to reading and goals for 2012. And above all, I am looking forward to another great year of reading and sharing with Nerdy Book Club members!
Carol, I think all of us experience times when we just don’t read as much because we have busy lives and stress. When I remember that the average American adult reads less than 10 books a year, I think any reading we do is worth celebrating!
Here, here!
Well said! I have two big readers at my house as well, but I think I’m going to have them set a few goals for themselves for the new year.
I just set my Goodreads goal to 25 books more than last year, and I’m going to attempt the #Nerdbery challenge – 90 books in 2 years.
http://bit.ly/taYKll – My post at my blog (www.mariaselke.com) declaring my goal for the Nerdbery challenge.
Thanks to all my Nerdy Book Club friends for inspiring me!
I wasn’t going to have a goal this year because… well, I forget why. Thank you for the reminder that my goals mean something to my students. So I’ll take your hint and go for the 600. Maybe I’ll even do a bulletin board, featuring this quote: “Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.” (Louisa May Alcott) Thanks for the inspiration!
I love the Alcott quote and I plan to use it with my students this week! Great idea.
Your articulation of changes ahead, and the role that books we choose (or do books choose us) as part of those changes, really resonated with me. It would be interesting to track “important books” that created shifts in who we are over, over time.
Happy New Year, Donalyn! (And all you other book nerdies)
Peace,
Kevin
Happy New Year!
I am looking forward to finding new books to share with my students. Last year I made the challenge to read 111 YA books in 2011, but I’m not sure what my long term goal will be for 2012. I am starting with the 2012 Lone Star list.
Thanks,
Doris
One of my favorite lines from your post today was, “A book will break my heart and rebuild it. I will find the perfect book for a particular child at the right time. I will read about bravery and chickens (perhaps in the same book). I will discover things about myself I didn’t know.” I think this boils down to the essence the reason why I push myself to read as much as I do. I can’t imagine a life without books or people to share them with. Luckily, like you, I am surrounded by readers, both at home and at work.
I still don’t understand the people in my department who say they are too busy to read, though……
It is fun to think back to all the character-friends, author-friends, and real (or Twitter)-friends I have made this year. Last year was the first year I did challenges and it was a great experiences. I felt more focused in my reading! This year Kellee and I chose some new challenges. You can see them here:
http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2011/12/2012-reading-challenges.html
Cheers to books and friends in 2012!
Damn and blast, I have been trying to resist the lure of the personal reading goals issue as I just wanted to read for me, going wherever my reading journey leads me in the new year.
However, I am now compelled to join the NERD HERD after reading Donalyn’s last post. I can’t stand being left out of this fun!
Terry, welcome to the herd. You were already a member:)
Love this blog. 2011 was a great year for reading and I bet 2012 will be even better. I have several resolutions too, many are what you discussed above. I wrote about them here:
http://readwriteandreflect.blogspot.com/2011/12/resolutions.html
Thanks for inspiring us on the first day of a new year, Donalyn. I’m off to read The Sixty-Eight Rooms.
Katherine
The Sixty-Eight Rooms is good clean fun. I just read the sequel. It was fun, too.
As always, you capture a reader’s sentiments perfectly. I like what you said about a reading life not beginning on Jan. 1 and ending Dec. 31. I have seen everyone’s book stats and thought how mine seemed to fall so short. Your post helped me see that it’s not about the numbers. It’s about committing to reading, and, more importantly, helping our students do the same. Thank you for everything you do for teachers/readers, Donalyn. (And for giving me permission to abandon Hitty for a while and instead pick up When Life Gives You OJ.!)
My goal for this year is just to keep track of what I read. I’ve never done it before, isn’t that odd?
I use goodreads to keep track of my reading. I joke that it’s my reading brain. I get a lot of great recommendations from friends on goodreads, too.
Thanks for another great, thought-provoking post Donalyn! I’ve been inspired by this blog (and others) to start blogging myself. I’ve seen so many great ideas from many different sites. But now I’m getting down to business and have posted my own reading goals for 2012. Thanks for the inspiration!
christy
http://fanaticalreader.wordpress.com/
Beautiful, Donalyn. I have copied your line, “For my part, I resolve to lead my students to books and show them how to find their way back without me,” into my reader’s notebook. Thanks, as always, for your inspiration!
I think a lot these days about whether or not we are creating dependent readers in our classrooms instead of independent readers. While my students may thrive in my classroom, they need to internalize lifelong reading habits that serve them well in life, not just 6th grade for one year.
I have lots of personal reading goals for myself, but one goal that I am really excited about is my variation #nerdcott that I am going to be doing with my son. He turns 5 tomorrow, and I want to read him as many Caldecott winners before he starts school in the fall.
I won’t be reading him Hugo until he gets a little older, but I’m going to try and read him all the winners that I think he will have even a little bit of interest in.
I love your twist on #nerdcott, Colby.
I am also excited for #nerdcott and #nerdbery. I’m also excited for http://passportnonfiction.edublogs.org/, which I am using to promote nonfiction at my school and hoping others will use as well.
I also want to read through the Little Golden Books I inherited from my grandparents. I’m excited to read some of the stories my dad enjoyed as a child (and then reread the more recent ones I still own from my childhood). http://pageintraining.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/2012-reading-goals/
So thrilled for the reading ahead of us this year! Also relieved to know I’m not the only book lover who misplaces library books. I’ll be reading all the Sibert books http://www.mshoughtonsclass.com/2012/01/01/sibert-challenge/ and hopefully posting relevant lesson information with them. Wheee!
Your post really struck a chord with me – you reminded me that reading is an art not a sport. I’m excited to be embarking on the Caldecott and Newbery reading challenge along with the Nerdy Book Club. Your thoughts acknowledged the importance of reading and noticing rather than just reading and counting. That said, I’m inspired to read the award winners AND make the reading count.
Thanks for the words.
Thanks for that inspiring post. I think I’m going to use the Alcott quote that Ms. Yingling wrote about-how inspirational! My goal is to read 250 books this year and if I fall short so be it(hey, that was a good book!). I also am planning on participating in the #nerdcott and #nerdbery-I might even join a couple of more challenges this year. I have always been a reader, but this past year I have felt like I rediscovered my reading self-the spark is now a flame! 🙂
If anyone needs some ideas of reading challenges they want to participate in check out my blog and look at the sidebar on the right. OMG!
Shannon
http://extremereadingandwriting.wordpress.com/
Donalyn, I just love your writing.
I resolve to listen to audiobooks on my commute. I resolve to spend more time reading and less time watching TV. I resolve to make a more quantifiable reading resolution after I meet a writing goal I set for myself.
I’m still thinking about why some kids RESIST reading, even when they are free to choose what they read–and I think this inquiry is going to stay with me a while. I’d like to challenge myself to clear some of the titles off my NONFICTION TBR–but my heart quails, and I know I will run back to the fiction (YA and adult) and the graphic novels, my ultimate favs. I guess I approach many of the nonfiction as a duty and the others as passion. At any rate, I resolve to read WANTONLY, my own riff on the “read irresponsibly” t-shirts some folks scored at NCTE.
I’ve appreciated the last three posts: Yours, Donalyn, Franki’s, and our two NBC, Jr., members. They’re good reminders of the fact that NBC exists for us, but only so we can better serve the children in our lives. They’re the ones who benefit most from our increased network of nerdy readers.
Excellent post — but I thought MY unloved Kindle was the only one of its kind! You can’t stock classroom libraries with “whisper,” after all…
I only finished 69 books this year but I don’t count children’s books I read to others. I have been an Audible member for several years. I’m challenging myself to go back and give books I gave up on another chance. I hate wasting money.
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