Teen Read Week - Bite Me

Teen Read Week
Getting teenagers to read isn't really hard. They read constantly, and they read for pleasure. They read each other's work, and they comment on what their friends have to say. They engage in the world, and many are collaborating globally (YouTube) on a regular basis. They care about their world. The thing is, they don't necessarily do it in school with the same enthusiasm with which they do it for themselves on their own time. Everyday, teens are engaged in creating, customizing, and developing with their own personalized digital environment (Facebook is clearly the elephant in the room here). They are eager to share, which is why they engage in social networks (Digg, del.icio.us). Our job is to reach them in ways that are relevant to what they value. 21st century skills are being talked about more and more, and this is what students are already engaged in - but not always in school. They are already creating, collaborating, and sharing their efforts with a global audience.
The theme for Teen Read Week this year is "Books with Bite". A great theme, given the incredible popularity of the Twilight Series and other popular vampire fiction. Here at CCHS we invested in lots of graphic novels, manga, and high interest fiction. Books are flying off our shelves, and our circulation statistics are higher than ever. So, to people who moan about teens not reading, I say "bite me", because I see them reading more than ever.