I ran across this quote the other day and it resonated with me: You learn to read so you can identify the reality in which you live,so that you can become a protagonist of history rather than a spectator. — Father Fernando Cardenal
I think about all we can learn from books: cultures, time periods, why people do the things they do, how people are different, how we are alike.
I also think about how our reading choices can affect our perceptions of reality. For example, a steady diet of romance novels can lead to having expectations that NO husband can meet. Student choice in reading is very important to me, but it does seem that we have a responsibility to nudge students toward books that can help them become amazing protagonists in their stories. I’ve determined to do more nudging.
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