The afternoon was filled the roar of boy voices, clamping of feet up the stairs, faces filled with excitement, food (no spilled juice!), laughter, visiting, a little discussion of Rewind by William Seator, more goofiness, voting on the December book (Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs was the easy winner), and getting the next book (Guys Read Thriller). That was how my first Guys Read Book Club started. I missed the first one because I was home with a high fever, a lovely UTI and kidney infection. Since kids read this blog I won’t get into the details.
Anyway back to the boys. At one point I had a flash back to five years ago and the eight little third graders that made up that first book club. (Yes, you were little!) I am fortunate to work in a school with so many male teachers. Yep, I’m not alone with the 30 monsters that make up this years Guys Read Book Club. I figure that about 25% of the boys in grades 3-5 attend the book club. (In five years we have read only ONE non-fiction book.) It is exciting and overwhelming to think about what long-term effect the book club will have on these young readers.
Due to the shear number of boys we split them up into three groups. It is very scientific. I count the number of boys and make little slips with numbers, and they draw. Well, that part is going to change for next month because a few fifth graders figured out what group I was going to have and sorted through the numbers to find the #1. Nicholas, another fifth grader, was more blunt he said, “I didn’t even pick a number I was going in group no matter what!”
Yet, again the discussion was not deep, but it was a fun time. Teachers are expected to do many things, most of choose to do even more. As I begin another year with these boys all I can think about is that no matter what, spending time with this ever growing group of knuckleheads makes my job as a teacher even more special.
