DGS Establishes a “Little Free Library”

I’ve been heavily influenced by many readers in my life, but none more than Regie Routman and Donalyn Miller. These two women have shaped and modeled my philosophy of reading instruction and I’ve been empowered by their insights and foresight into developing a love of reading in our students. As I participated in some intense professional learning centered on the beliefs of Regie Routman, one question was posed in her text, “Does your learning environment mirror your instructional philosophy and beliefs about literacy instruction?”

You will hear many educators tell you about the importance of reading and literacy, but it is important that the environment and the culture support that. It is the adage, “Put your money where your mouth is.” That being said, I have been intentional about creating an environment that supports literacy. It is not a surprise to see teachers post and update signs by their doors sharing what they’re reading, small little library bins hanging among the hallway walls, bookshelves of books in the cafeteria for students to access after they eat, bookshelves in the foyer for children to access at dismissal time while they wait for their rides, or reading nooks in the hallways at DGS. The focus is to provide students easy access to books with no strings attached.

Lining the building with books in nooks, cracks, and corners specifically communicates that reading IS important and that we VALUE it in all areas of our lives. As a main goal in our strategic plan, we strive to “develop a culture of readers.” Test scores are important and indicative of our successes as educators, but what I strive to see more is a student pick up a book without prompting or light up at the release of a new title or share a book recommendation with a classmate, not because they are required to, but because they are developing a love of reading.

That being said, our duties as educators aren’t to only educate and promote our love of reading within our school walls, but extend it outside our school walls. Introducing, the DGS Free Little Library! Developing readers at DGS is just part of the mission of public education. We also want to do our part to foster literacy in our neighborhoods and community. As of June 2016, there are nearly 40,000 registered Little Free Libraries in all 50 states and 70 countries. Please see the map for more information! Our Little Free Library is a destination for our students and community members to stop, browse, and borrow a book! It’s a destination that promotes our philosophy of reading instruction and spreads our culture of reading outside our school walls.

If you are a parent or community member, We hope you visit our Little Free Library and choose a book to curl up with our share with a friend or child. If you are an administrator or educator reading this, please consider asking yourself the question, “does your learning environment truly promote your reading philosophy?” When you look around your school building, what artifacts do you see that support your claims or intentions? Are there areas that you can bolster to build stronger readers that not only excel on assessments, but truly love reading? Students and children need to see adults as readers in their lives. So share books. Share your love of reading and spread the love with your students!