Nateisha_Taylor

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2006 ANNUAL FUNDSFORWRITERS ESSAY CONTEST

THE THIRD PLACE WINNER (NO ENTRY FEE DIVISION)

The Reluctant Reader

By Nateisha Taylor

At the start of each school year, I face a dilemma that forces her way into my classroom, more eager to arrive than the new students I will have the pleasure of meeting. I contemplate what strategies to use to motivate approximately seventy 14-17 year old reluctant readers and struggling writers.

In Room 108, the pale eggshell prison colored walls are covered with bright posters, bearing the words SIMILE, ASSONANCE, THE WRITING PROCESS, and HAIKU. In a closet, classroom sets of classic novels, worn and barely held together by masking tape, wait embarrassingly, as they know their introductions will yield comments from disapproving and uninterested teenagers. One by one, my pupils enter, some nervous, but most of them too comfortable, and find a place to sit among the myriad of timid books and magazines that go unnoticed, until I, their owner and advocate, force them into the hands of my children.

By the end of the second week, I know enough of my students’ interests to begin devising my own scheme to get them to embrace and appreciate literature of all kinds. Before I introduce any novel or adopted anthology, I rely on my own personal portfolio of prose, a basket of notebooks and folders containing pieces that I’ve originated throughout my career as an educator, all inspired by the teenagers I’ve taught. The first one, an essay in favor of no homework and no dress code peaks their curiosity and even manages to get a few cheers from the audience. The assignment that follows, to write an argumentative essay in favor of a homework or dress code policy is met with little hesitation and much adrenaline, as I challenge them, “Now, show me who can out argue his teacher.”

In another lesson, to introduce Great Expectations, I share with the students a copy of IM’s (Instant Messages) between CharlesD and MrsT (myself), about Pip’s feelings for Estella and her behavior. As we read the piece, students begin probing, wanting to know who these people are and what happens to them. It is at this moment that I reveal to them the source that will satisfy their inquiries. Another popular piece, a passionate love letter from JC to R. Mont serves as a magnet that draws my 230 pound football player and the shy soft-spoken red haired girl with freckles to anticipate The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.

In our small, rural high school of less than 400 students, we celebrate their private victories, like growing to love and appreciate reading. Unlike several schools in the surrounding areas, we don’t have the funds or the technology to glamorize literature; we depend solely upon our role as educators and how we will use the time we have with them to impact their paradigms about reading. For me, I use my passion and skills as a writer to lure my students into anticipating poetry, essays, editorials, short stories, novels, and even lyrics to country songs. The survey that I give to my students at the beginning of the year reveals that less than 20 percent of them have reading materials in their home. 68 percent of them admit that, except to pass a class in school, they don’t understand why it is important to be an independent reader. I am proud to brag that by the end of the academic year, the results show an amazing improvement in the percentage of students who enjoy and appreciate reading.

I don’t aim to be famous or obtain wealth through writing. Had that been the case, I would have sought to publish the most exotic or controversial prose my mind could concur. I’m not seeking acceptance into the elite circle of writers, and I’m even less interested in proving that I am the next Virginia Wolf or Maya Angelou. I want to use my writing to inspire others, especially children who feel disconnected from reading and writing, to appreciate and even embrace literature of all kinds. I would hope that any person who is in the position to support this cause, would do so unselfishly, as his contributions would help to build an entire generation of readers.

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