Changing lives...one book at a time!

"All teachers will create a culture of empathy and support that scaffolds all students' academic, social, and emotional success."  

In Worthington Schools, this is one of our four focus strategies.  We believe this is the foundation of our work and I am excited to share "HOW" one of our teachers is making this happen in his classroom. 

Brian Lawless is a 6th-grade teacher at Worthington Estates Elementary.  Each year, before the school year ever starts, Brian gets to know his students by spending time with them during the Ice Cream Social.  He engages in conversations around student interests, hobbies, hopes & dreams, and friends & family.  Not only does Brian enjoy this time with students outside of the classroom, it also affords him the opportunity to begin building trusting relationships with his students prior to the start of the year. 

During the first few days of school, Brian meets individually with every student to continue these conversations, all with the purpose of ensuring that he learns as much as he can about his students.  In Worthington, the student's first day is usually on a Wednesday, which means Brian has 3 days to ensure these individual student connections take place before the big reveal.

Yes, like most teachers, Brian works hard to learn about student interests and ultimately builds trust through engaging conversations, but here is what I found super cool about what he does next.  On Monday, when students return from the weekend after their first three days of school, Brian takes all that he has learned about each of his students and selects books that he believes each of his students will relate with the most.  He lays the books on their desks so that they are visible for students upon their return from the weekend.  The energy and excitement in the room is like no other when students enter the classroom.  And now that I have met Brian and had a chance to talk with him, I am sure he is just as excited to share why he has selected these books for every one of his students.  Brian believes that every child should interact with a "life-changing" book and as Brian shared more about his "HOW" with me, I also asked him a "WHY" question. 
"Why do you value reading so much?" 
 He quickly shared three reasons with me;

1. Reading builds empathy in our classroom and in life.

2. Reading builds community in our classroom.

3. Reading prepares our students for the complexities of life.

Brian continued by saying, "I want my students to read for a lot of reasons, but ultimately,  I just want to help all of my students to learn to ENJOY reading."  

If you ever have a chance to visit Brian in his classroom, it won't take long for you to concur that reading is important to Brian and his students.  It's possible that you might mistake the Library for his classroom as all four walls contain shelves of books.  Students are permitted to check out three books at a time, and because Brian knows his students and his books, he has provided great connections and a personal interest in reading for all of his students. 

"HOW you do anything means everything" and thanks to Brian Lawless, he has demonstrated the "HOW" behind 

"All teachers will create a culture of empathy and support that scaffolds all students' academic, social, and emotional success."  

at Worthington Estates Elementary.