Failing to graduate a populace that values reading has long-term consequences for everyone.

I try to teach my students that books are a mirror, reflecting their own lives, and a window, giving them a peek into someone else's.

When we meet and I discover that we have read and loved the same books, we are instant friends.

Students will read if we give them the books, the time, and the enthusiastic encouragement to do so. If we make them wait for the one unit a year in which they are allowed to choose their own books and become readers, they may never read at all. To keep our students reading, we have to let them.

The purpose of schools should not be to prepare students for more school. We should be seeking to have fully engaged students now

I never tell students they cannot read a book they pick up, but I do guide them toward books that I think would be a good fit for them. I think of myself as a reading mentor-a reader who can help them find books they might like.

Although I enjoy digging through the library to help students find books, my aim is to help them develop self-confidence in choosing books for themselves.