…in which he starts a more exciting reading program.

I just wrote about my reading sessions at the library. In the last week, I’ve started something I find a great deal more exciting. When I bought up a bunch of books on eBay I wasn’t totally sure what I’d do with them. I wanted to have them to read to the kids, but I was also thinking about ways to get them into the kids’ hands. I came up with a plan. I’ve got all these Dr. Seuss books and more than a few are duplicates. When I was buying and shipping these books I kept very close tabs on what I was paying for everything. I was able to get all those books here for under $4 per book. Similar books on the shelf in stores here cost around $10. Also, those shelves are few and far between.

To continue the set-up, some of the kids here have English books at home. But not nearly all that want them and not nearly as many could really use them. So we’ve got high demand and a fairly cheap product in low supply. This problem isn’t too tough to solve.

Here’s how I’ve started. I bring a stack of the books with me several times a week. The kids look through them and find one they like. Then I explain the deal. If they can read the whole book to me right there, they get one signature from me and they take the book home. Then they have to read it once at home and have their parents sign off. If they have a younger brother or sister, they have to read the book to them and write down a short reaction. “It was funny.” “I didn’t like it.” Whatever they say. Those homes with the younger siblings are my prime targets. If they do this for four weeks straight, they can keep the book and come back for a new one. No money, not too much required of their busy parents, easy to execute.

The very first student I approached with this, a girl named Sherry in my grade 2 class, balked at the idea. She read one of the books to me with ease and then I gave her the deal. She just said she wasn’t interested because she had English books at home with more available at our English school. I thought I had made a big mistake in my analysis of the situation. It turns out that my mistake was in who I asked. (But ten points to anyone who sees the larger problem indicated by this case). When I asked Sherry if she wanted to try this we weren’t in a classroom with a bunch of other kids. The next day I brought the idea into the classroom. I got a much bigger response, including a positive one from Sherry. The kids thought the books looked cool and they really wanted to pick their books and take them home. The girls were more interested than the guys, I can’t say just why.

Not everyone who wanted a book could take one right there. We hit two limiting factors. First, I’m insisting that the kids sit down and read the entire book to me. This isn’t to weed out kids, it’s to insure that the books end up in the hands of kids who can read them. It’d really be a waste if they went out to homes where they would sit there unread. Second, it takes time for the kids to read an entire book to me. A number of the books are better than fifty pages. Even if they only have one sentence per page that can still take quite a while. I think I’m averaging between fifteen and twenty minutes per reading right now. I’m worried it’s just too slow. That first class, I only had time to hand out one book though more students were willing and able. At this point I’ve handed out six or seven books. I’ve got records, but I’m not looking at them right now. I think this is going to be popular, but there are problems I’m aware of that I haven’t resolved yet.

1. The problem that I offered ten points for is this. By requiring the kid to be able to read the entire book, I’m selecting a set of kids that is far more likely to already have decent access to English language material. The ones who really need help can’t read these books and they probably don’t even go to my school.
2. There is a bottleneck in the requirement that the kids sit down and read to me. It takes so much time that it severely limits the number of kids I can get involved. I may move to require that they read me the first five pages and come back to me with any words they find they don’t know. I also might try to get the other English teachers to help out.
3. The books I have right now are fairly homogenous. They appeal to some, but not to others. If I get more books I’ll try and get some that are shorter and easier and some that are longer and more challenging. I might even try to get some comic books or magazines, they might go over well.
4. The program isn’t self-sufficient right now, though the circumstances seem right to move it in that direction. Between the generous offers of books and shipping assistance from some family members and the positive reception of this project in the community here, I believe I can find a way to make this a low cost and self-sufficient operation. Thinking big for a moment, I’d love to get someone interested in turning this model into a functioning business. There are cheap books in homes across the US that Taiwanese children would love. Right now I can get these books from door-to-door for under $4 per book. I bet a formal business, properly run, could push that even lower.

Crazy ideas for the future:

1. Recording books on CD that the kids can listen to while reading the book. They have CDs for their English textbooks and I half-wonder if they play them while they sleep. Jason H., if you’re reading this, I’d be coming your way for advice on the easiest cheapest way to do this, so heads up.
2. Making copies of books to distribute with these CD might be a way to reach out to the kids that can’t just sit down and read them already.
3. Open hours at the library or at McDonalds might be a way to improve access for the kids who want to get in on this but don’t see me on a daily basis. A nod of recognition to foreign teacher Michael here for the McDonalds idea.

I’m listing these problems and crazy ideas because I want to hear back from you. Doing something good isn’t about waiting until you find a perfect idea. It’s about trying a good idea and working to make it better and better. I’ve got a decent start, but I’d love for you to all help me make it something really special.