Awkward Moments in Independent Reading: A Follow-up

I recently wrote about a funny awkward moment that started with a student asking me the definition of codpiece.  She was reading Gilt by Katherine Longshore at the time, and the resulting conversation is probably one that both of us - student and teacher - will be telling people for years to come.

To be honest, I had two reasons for telling the story.  The first, and most obvious, is that it was one of those beautifully funny middle school moments.  There is nothing like a middle school student - capable of truly intellectual insights but still a kid.  The intersection of the two qualities make my work amazing.

But there was a pedagogical rationale for blogging the story as well.

All schools want to encourage independent student reading.  The benefits are so clear and so varied that for many schools, independent reading programs are a key focus of school improvement.  Giving students choice in what they read seems like a no-brainer, but it really has to be accompanied by some thoughtful policies because, inevitably, students will choose books that some of the adults in their lives may not be all that comfortable with.  This is particularly true of our strong readers in Middle School.

I have students who read at a high school level, but they are still kids.  They have to be allowed to explore writing that is thematically compelling and academically challenging even if what they choose sometimes makes us uncomfortable.  It's the only way to help our students reach their academic potential.  To accomplish that, we need to consider the way we are going to respond to questions about things like codpieces long before the questions are even asked.

Parents

As schools, we need to involve parents early and often in understanding our reading policy.  Note that I said 'understanding' - not shaping.  We must explain our rationale for student choice in reading and demonstrate how and why it benefits kids academically.  We cannot let parents determine our book or reading policy, so we need school leaders who will assert our expertise as educators.

At the same time, we need to have policies and technology in place to help parents who want to be involved in the book choices their children make.  My students, for example, already keep a list of books they want to read.  The list is constantly evolving as friends recommend new books or their interests change.  Putting the list online for parents to read - or, even better, encouraging parents to keep and share their own 'want to read' list with their children - would allow them to have conversations about the books, discuss any concerns they have, and, if they feel it is necessary, restrict their child's access to specific titles.

Almost any modern school library has a computer-based check-out process.  Parents could easily share any restrictions with circulation staff so that any books parents don't want their kids reading could not be checked out.

I'm not an advocate for restricting access to books.  I read anything and everything when I was in Middle School.  Most of that did NOT include young adult literature.  My parents believed I was mature enough to put down a book that made me uncomfortable.  I do believe that we need policies that respect individual families' values without letting those values alter policies that we know as professional educators benefit learning.

A procedure like this protects teachers and the institution, respects parent input regarding their own children's reading, and upholds a sound educational policy.  Schools can focus on building a library of high quality and high interest books without worrying whether a specific title will offend someone in the community.  Teachers can safely encourage students to 'reach' as readers.  Parents can be parents and guide them in reading books that reflect their values.

Teachers and students

With a choice based independent reading program, we have to be prepared for those awkward codpiece moments, too.  We need to figure out policies for how we will answer questions about things students encounter in what they read before the questions are asked.  I had some colleagues who were surprised that I answered the codpiece question, but for me there was no doubt about whether I would answer it.

Her question was legitimate, and codpiece, after all, is just a word.  Not answering the question or saying it was a question for home would have been to imply that there was something wrong with what my student was reading.  And there was nothing wrong with Gilt.

Are there parents who might not want their children to read Gilt?  Yes.  Is there anything wrong with it? Most definitely not.  It doesn't advocate hate or harm to anyone.  It's historical fiction, and codpieces were a Tudor fashion trend.

In my conversation about Gilt there were three types of questions my student asked that, to me, help define a helpful policy regarding potentially awkward questions that might come up when students choose their own books.

1.  Definition (What's a codpiece) - Especially when teaching in schools with large numbers of English language learners there will be questions about words that some would deem inappropriate.  But again, they are words, and knowing how and when it's okay to use them means knowing their definitions.  In most cases, I would rather my students learn those words from me than from another student.

This was a question that deals with fact.

2.  Why did they wear those? - To me, this is part of defining what codpieces are.  It's part of the purpose; hiding the purpose of it would be to implicitly say that there is something bad about including it in the story.  Codpieces were a weird fashion, but you could make the same argument for push-up bras.

This was also a question that deals with fact.

3.  Why would someone find a big penis attractive? - That's the point in the conversation where it became a topic for home.  This question doesn't deal with facts; it deals with images of sexuality, stereotypes, and opinions regarding sex.  It's for home.

Developing clear guidelines for situations like this has several advantages.  First, it protects a teacher by more clearly defining what is appropriate and what is inappropriate to talk about.

By giving teachers the leeway to answer a question like 'what is a __________' that comes up within the context of a book, we reinforce for students that they can ask us questions about uncomfortable topics - questions that deserve answers. Very often, students encounter through books topics that they will never encounter in their daily lives.  The relationship we have with our students is often the only one in which they feel comfortable seeking answers about uncomfortable topics.  Asking parents is often not an option for students.  They may feel more embarrassed asking a parent, or they may fear the judgement about what they are reading if they ask.  

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The bottom line is if we want to encourage our students to become lifelong, independent readers, we know we need to encourage choice.  When they choose, they may choose some things that raise awkward questions.  To make the program work, we need to plan ahead.  It's not that hard.