My Classroom Library
Posted by admin

The above picture is of my classroom library. Well… part of it. I have had some variation of this library in my classroom for about three decades.

It is not a library I put together with any particular agenda. Well, that’s not true. I do have an agenda: I want my students to be readers.

I want them to want to read. I want them to enjoy reading. I want them to follow their curiosities and learn new things through reading. I want them to immerse themselves in stories, whether they be great Literature or popular fiction. I want them to read about people different from themselves (books as windows). I want them to see themselves in the stories they read (books as mirrors). I want them to think about what they read. I want them to be willing to read flawed books and see the flaws, yet still see the value even in something that is flawed. I want them to disagree with books, but I also want them to find authors who make them feel they have found a friend.

And so my bookshelves are filled with whatever I can get my hands on: books from used book stores; books we have read at home that have then trickled in to my classroom; books from the Scholastic warehouse in our area that supplies the book sales.

I don’t just have fiction in my room. I have an entire reference shelf for my Creative Writing students:

These books are not books you would typically find in a school media center. I have carefully curated this collection, and with few exceptions they are “adult” books.

I also have crates full of books on my desk (above) that I often pull out and talk to students about: teacher books, non-fiction books, reference books. I also have boxes full of books like these: books produced in my room. A novel and dozens of original children’s books produced by my students. My students are not only book users – they are book creators. Will I need to get my students’ own work vetted so I’m allowed to have it in my room?

The state of Florida is now trying to say that there is a false book-banning narrative being pushed, that they are not trying to ban books – just get rid of pornography. If that is the case, why are whole districts making teachers get rid of their classroom libraries? Why have other teachers I know removed their libraries preemptively to avoid trouble? Why was our district media specialist suddenly moved out of her position? Why is there so much confusion and such a lack of clarity? Why are we not hearing a clear, strong message that we should keep our classroom libraries?

Because although my priority is to make my students readers, the state’s priority is to fight culture wars about problems that are really not that big a deal. I have been teaching nearly 31 years. I have never, ever had a single complaint about my classroom library. One of my students recently spoke at our school board meeting against mass censorship. She didn’t mention me by name, but she talked about my books. She doesn’t want them to go away.

Neither do I.

So my books are staying put. I will wait until someone (district staff? representatives of the state? law enforcement?) comes into my room to tell me I can’t have books for my kids anymore. What will I do if they do? Honestly, I’m not sure. But if the state is right, and the book banning is a false narrative, a hoax, I have nothing to worry about, right?

So why do I feel worried anyway?