Bless you. I’m currently 32 and have a Master’s degree. I’ve done and still do a lot of reading to get to where I am. And I’ve loved reading from way back. I was finishing a Goosebumps every day in the 6th grade, and I read 50 books (mostly nonfiction) last year.

But you know what I still can’t stand? Most of what I had to read in high school. I understand the case for the classics, but Dickens, the Brontes, Hawthorne and Dostoevsky can all take a running leap. I still cite Kate Chopin’s The Awakening as one of the worst things I’ve ever fallen asleep to while trying to finish.

There’s something to be said for unpacking dense literature and learning to finish something that you don’t enjoy. But I really think that forcing kids to read what they hate is teaching them to hate reading.

Thank you for taking a different approach and helping these kids learn that reading doesn’t have to be pulling teeth. I’m sure that one day they’ll look back thankfully on the teacher that inspired them to love the written word. I know I do.