Why I Love SSR (Sustained Silent Reading)

We've been doing this SSR thing for about a month now and it seems that things have settled down a little. Students and teachers have had time to adjust to the idea and I'm hearing far fewer complaints, laments, etc. than I was hearing earlier in the year. Now I understand that change, even positive change, is often difficult and takes time. That said, let me tell you why I love SSR.

As you know, I love to read. What a treat it is to be able to do something that I already make time to do at home, in the middle of my work day! I have my SSR book that I keep here at school and I have another book that I am reading at home. I'll admit that I haven't progressed very far in my SSR book as I often have customers during this time, but I'm not complaining. I am happy to put down my book to assist students with finding books for themselves. Which leads me to another reason why I love SSR. Kids are reading more! I usually see several students per day during SSR who are returning a book that they have finished and looking for something new. Students also stop by between periods (an even better idea since it doesn't interfere with their reading time) to check out books. I realize that with homework, part-time jobs, sports, and activities, students feel crunched for time and often don't make time to read. Now that they have been given the gift of time, some kids have rediscovered their love of reading for pleasure. Hopefully facutly members are making the same discovery. If you haven't been completely converted to an SSR lover, please keep at it. Don't think of it as "one more thing I have to do," but rather, embrace this time. It's probably the only part of the school day in which you can read whatever you choose, just because...