Reaching reluctant readers
Contrary to the stereotypes often associated with those who work in libraries, Ashley Grainger did not always love reading.
She was not the type of kid who spent the daily recess period absorbed in a puzzlingly thick book, nor was she the teenager who waited outside the local bookstore in anticipation of the newest release.
In fact, Chelsea Middle School’s media specialist and tech coordinator went much of her life without experiencing the thrill of the written word.
That’s until she was introduced, as a graduate student at the University of West Alabama, to Stephenie Meyer’s highly acclaimed vampire romance novel, Twilight.
“It was the dorkiest book ever,” Grainger said, “but that grabbed me, and from there on I’ve loved it.”
Helping the students of CHMS discover and develop that same passion for reading is the chief goal of Reaching the Reluctants, Grainger’s new program targeting students who struggle to read at grade level.
“They’re my struggling readers that really have no passion for it, and I thought if I could get that one book in their hand, whether it be the hardcover book or the digital, they would find that passion,” Grainger said.
To help Grainger accomplish her mission, the Shelby County Schools Education Foundation issued her one of 41 teacher mini-grants allotted for the 2015-2016 school year, awarding her $978.82. With the grant money, Grainger purchased 60 new books for the school’s media center, 30 hardcover and 30 digital, ranging in genre from graphic novels to biographies.
Included in the purchased collection are books on Alabama and Auburn football, along with biographies on diverse superstars, such as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and recording artist Katy Perry.
“The grant purchased the books that I was hoping would catch their eye,” Grainger said.
To promote reading growth, Grainger also bought series of fiction books that she believes will help bridge the gap between the introductory graphic novels and grade-level texts.
“It was kind of a two-step process,” Grainger said, “catching their eye with the nonfiction books and letting them enjoy that, and then teasing them with the fiction books that were just a little bit harder, and then gradually moving them up to their grade level where they should be at.”
Appealing to today’s tech-savvy students, all texts can be accessed electronically via computers, tablets and smartphones on the school’s cataloging website, Destiny Quest.
“It extends the reach greatly, which is very nice, and I’m so thankful for it,” Grainger said.
Grainger first conceived the idea for Reaching the Reluctants when the buzz surrounding Divergent, the first installation in author Veronica Roth’s riveting science-fiction trilogy, reached an all-time peak.
Making its big-screen debut in March 2014, the movie sparked debates among fans concerning which of the five “factions” they would join in the book’s post-apocalyptic world: Dauntless, Erudite, Amity, Abnegation or Candor.
Instead, the story brought to Grainger’s mind a sixth faction, one comprised of students she saw roaming the halls of CHMS every day: the Reluctants.
“I thought this would be a good play on that,” Grainger said. “We would call them the Reluctants because they’re reluctant to read.”
But Grainger is set on changing that, hoping to ignite a lifelong passion for reading that will carry students to new academic heights.
“I hate to see my kiddos not find that book that really sparks that fire for them for reading, because it does them so well throughout life to love to read,” Grainger said. “They gain more knowledge, and with that’s more power.”