Center for Teaching & Learning

5/31/24 - Reading During the Summer

Reading
Last weekend, I watched a wonderful documentary about Reading Rainbow on Netflix, called Butterfly in the Sky. If you are between 35 and 50, I would bet that if you watch, you will experience lightbulb moments that ping your deep visual memory. But, besides the nostalgia, I recommend you watch it! For me, the emotional honesty of the original show, the goal of inspiration, and the belief that books are the ultimate vehicle for both empathy and curiosity made this piece about Reading Rainbow synergistic with our work here at CTL. The piece’s closing centers around the idea of exploration and the role we have in other people’s lives; it suggests that our role is to tell our friends, our kids, our friends’ kids and kids’ friends, about what we enjoy and what interests us. That our role is to find our voices, to seek stories, and to tell others about the stories that we find inspiring. Yes!

As we head into the summer and, as the parents of young readers, get ready to transition from our amazing classroom libraries to our amazing town libraries, I want to thank the teachers for cultivating the libraries at CTL. And beyond the books, I want to thank the teachers for knowing both the students and the books very well, well enough to match kids and books perfectly, over and over. And thank them for creating a classroom and school culture where everyone feels excited to share the stories they like with others. 

Next week, students will bring home a summer book bag filled to the brim with titles to keep them excited. Kids should read every day, all year, including the summer. Many of CTL’s kids will do this without family support; some will need your help to create a practice within their changing summer routines. While it’s fine to read at night before bed, that’s often a time when people lack focus. It can be hard to really get into the reading zone, and, when we do, sometimes it keeps us up later than we should be up! For me, magazines are a good choice at bedtime.
I recommend that kids have a second, non-bedtime time that they read in the summer. Different times work for different families -- upon waking, in the car, after lunch, while waiting for dinner to be cooked --the options are many.
For many students, the CTL summer book bag will last! For some, it will be important to create a family practice of going to the library or bookstore. 

Skidompha Public Library (Damariscotta)
Boothbay Harbor Memorial LibraryPatten Free Library (Bath)
Southport Memorial Library

Curtis Memorial Library in BrunswickWaldoboro Public LibraryWiscasset Public Library

Most libraries offer great summer programming for kids, including reading programs. Check out your local library to learn more. 

I also suggest reading Nancie Atwell’s piece about CTL’s reading philosophy, excerpted here from the CTL Family Handbook. 

Thank you for caring about books, about reading, about CTL, and about kids’ experiences. There’s nothing that says ‘lazy summer day’ like a good book. I hope that this summer, you and your kids find many, and that you make and take a lot of recommendations. 

I can't believe this is the last newsletter of the year. Thank you so much for all you have done to support both your own kids and also CTL as a whole throughout this year. I deeply value the community at CTL and I look forward to deepening our connections next year. 

But before next year, thank you so very much for this one.

Love, Katy