Too long I had been coasting--reading what was easy and fun but not what would challenge or grow me as a reader or a thinker. My steady diet was children's, young adult, and fluff books. I didn't want to think as a reader. I wanted to escape into another world. But I realized the escapism I had found in reading was no longer satisfying me. I had matured and grown but my choice in literature had not.
By the time I started full-time teaching, I was barely reading and definitely not challenging myself as a reader. I taught my students how to challenge themselves as readers yet I would not do the same for myself. I would listen to my siblings discuss their thinking from their reading and come up short because I had read nothing to challenge myself.
I came to the conclusion, about a year ago, that enough was enough. A personal challenge and determination had to be set. I was going to challenge myself as a reader. I didn't set any specific goals of how many books I was going to read through the year or what books I was going to read. My decision was to read a variety of books, books I might not first pick-up, books recommended by people I trust, books recommended by random people. I was going to read, and I was going to think as I read.
My reading discipline started slowly, but it started. By the summer, I was choosing and reading books from all over. I was encouraged in my challenge through my reading of The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller. I started her 40 book challenge in my classroom this year and took the challenge myself. With the majority of books, I kept track of my thoughts in my reading journal. Today, I just finished my 24th book toward my 40--some children's books, some adult books, a graphic novel, and more informational than I expected. Today, I'm challenging myself as I read a variety of books and pause to think about them.
