Reading Comes Alive
By Erica Spain, Media Specialist, Broughton High School
January 2007-- If there is a challenge in the world of school librarianship, it is getting students to be engaged in purposeful reading, especially reading that directly supports classroom instruction and the diverse curricula of a school. One of the ways the library at Broughton High School accomplished that this year was by a visit from Tim Tyson, author of the book Blood Done Sign My Name. Blood is the historical account of a racially-motivated murder in Oxford, N.C. in 1970, and the fallout that ensued from this egregious crime. Students at Broughton, via English and U.S. History classes, read Blood and then were treated to Tyson’s visit where he discussed the book’s background, his remembrances from the time period (he was living in Oxford at the time), and how racial divides have continued to open and close throughout the history of not only our state but our country as well.
Putting Tyson’s face to their reading engaged them; students came to his lecture with book in hand and expectant joy on their faces – and they were not disappointed. Tyson spoke first, then allowed the students to ask questions and make comments, many of which were formed directly from the text of his book. At the close of his lecture, most students stayed, met him, shook his hand, hugged him, or had him autograph their books. It was one of those rare moments where, for these kids, reading came alive. They gained a sense of the reality of their literature and realized, many for the first time, that books do not have to be written by dead men years removed from their lives today.
To prepare for Tyson’s visit, a number of things had to be accomplished: coordinating his schedule with ours, reserving the auditorium, bringing the English and Humanities departments on-board, and acquiring the books for each junior. (The books were donated by Alston Gardner, a benevolent supporter of Tyson who provides copies of Blood to any group requesting it, completely relieving the recipients of any out-of-pocket expenses.) The Broughton PTSA generously donated money to fund an honorarium for Tyson, and book distribution was handled from an office in the library, ensuring each junior in the school – along with each English and humanities teacher – received a copy. There were numerous e-mails sent, phone calls made, and discussions held to put the entire visit together, all to make reading come alive for our students. In the end, all the effort was worth it.
Of course, there cannot be an event like this without positive after-effects. Open discussions on race-relations took place in earnest and with honesty. A schoolwide writing contest was launched. Students in the ESL program raced to their teacher and declared it to be the most wonderful thing they’d ever seen. The staff was uplifted. Young people who had never felt connected to reading felt connected. There was a renewed sense of possibility, and reinforced appreciation for literature.
As Tyson closed his remarks to the students, he noted that dealing with race-relations (like so many other things in life) is hard – but we have to learn to “lean into those hard things” if we’re going to move them. For many of the students, reading is one of those hard things; making a connection to him, though, and making a connection to his book enabled them to start the leaning-in process, and, in the end, connect to their reading in a meaningful way, hopefully for the rest of their lives.
--wcpss--