Teens learn to love reading books

WINSTED — About 20 students and faculty members gathered Friday, Nov. 21, for the first meeting of Northwestern Regional High School’s book club.

Seniors Brittany Szur, Kyle Reynolds and Tina Gillen began planning the book club about a month ago with special education teacher Debbie Griffin. Griffin has worked with the three students over the course of their high school careers.

“I never read before,� said Brittany Szur, co-organizer of the club. “I had only read one book before this year, on my own. I thought it was a waste of time and wondered why people read.� The same sentiment was expressed by fellow organizers Reynolds and Gillen.

“This is my first year reading a book,� Reynolds said.

“I haven’t read a book since sixth grade,� Gillen added.

Now all three seniors are running a book club for their classmates and teachers.

The secret to Griffin’s success in getting the students interested in reading was to utilize different strategies for different readers, explained the club’s organizers.

“A lot of us in here are visual learners,� said Gillen. Some strategies that worked for her were using her finger as a guide as she read and reading slowly. In addition, Griffin emphasized finding reading material that was interesting to the students. She did not assign a single required reading piece.

“Everyone has their own genre of what they like to read,� Gillen said. She explained that their book club is different from others, because everyone gets to read a book they like, and at their skill level, rather than having everyone in the group read the same book.

“We don’t have to have this club as a one-book club because if someone is not interested in the book [they won’t read],� said Reynolds. “We’d rather have people read their own book and explain what they think.�

Aside from encouraging students to read for pleasure about topics they like, the book club was also formed as a way to share interests.

“I felt like we should do this so we can see what other people are reading and see if they are reading the same books; and see how they like their story and what they think of it. The book club was started because we wanted to know what other people are reading and see if maybe we would like to read it as well,� Szur said.

With their first meeting under their belts, the book club is looking forward to future meetings and learning more about the reading habits of their classmates and teachers.

While the shock of just how much these students now enjoy reading is still vibrating through the school, supporters of the book club are overwhelmed with the results.

“I’m thrilled with it,� said Superintendent Clint Montgomery, who helped the students organize and prepare for the book club. He credited teacher Debbie Griffin with the remarkable results.

“She’s a special education teacher and just a fantastically fabulous person. She put together this program to get them reading, to turn off the screen and open the books. It’s working.

“There are some kids who never read a book before on their own. Now they are reading books,� said Montgomery. “The research supports what Debbie is doing. When kids read daily, there is improvement.�

Aside from reading, the book club has helped the students learn other crucial skills as well, including public speaking, since every member has to explain what their book is about and what they have learned. In addition, confidence in their reading and speaking skills has already been displayed.

“They’re reborn in terms of their energy and their commitment toward school and toward learning. It really has become a more important aspect of their lives than it was before,� Montgomery said. “We’re thrilled with what this teacher is doing with the program.�