Though my English courses tilt heavily towards writing early and often throughout the semester, it’s always important to spend time focusing on the primary path to learning: a love of reading. Enter “Speed Dating: With Books!” 

On Friday, September 18th, Upper School Librarian and Moravian legend Ms. Patti Davis visited in the Makerspace with my English 9 students. After introducing them to some of the library’s primary search tools, Ms. Davis helped students to find books that they could loan out for their independent reading assignment. 

Every few minutes, students were asked to search either for specific titles suggested by Ms. Davis and me or for other books aligned with their interests. Time was short, however, for students to decide which books they liked and which they would rather pass on. 

Students were asked to take notes on the experience and to reflect about the basis for their initial reactions. Though not everyone may have found his or her true love, some popular choices emerged, including Peter Brown Hoffmeister’s This is the Part Where You Laugh, Valynne E. Maetani’s Ink & Ashes, and Marcella Pixley’s Ready to Fall. 

Students will be given several weeks to complete their reading and to relate their book’s content with related materials from the course. Happy reading!