DRUM ROLL, PLEASE! This month, as part of the 3E's Blogging Collaborative, we welcome youth and adult fiction author Claudia Whitsitt to our collaborative. Welcome, Claudia!
Studies have long shown that reading is a great healer, but those of us who read already know that. We don't need a study to recognize how quickly our stress levels drop when we delve into a story or to understand that avid readers maintain active brains and remain healthier the longer they live. Reading is the gift that keeps on giving.
As I talk to students throughout the year, I'm continually amazed at their insight and understanding of the human experience. I focus on the holes we have in our hearts, invisible though they may be, and how we can help each other to heal by treating each other with respect and kindness. This idea came out of Between the Lines, the first book in the Kids Like You series, which focuses on racism and prejudice in the sixties. Writing this book for middle grade students took me back to my early reading days and the reasons I became an enthusiastic reader at such an early age.
When I share my version of the "Holes in the Fence" with students, even at the tender ages of nine and ten, they recognize what it's like to have a hole in their heart. They tell me that wounds of the heart may never heal, although they may live to a ripe old age. While the wounds may scab over, kids also recognize how easily a memory or trigger can reopen them. The bottom line is this—we've all suffered loss and pain, no matter our age, but the holes that live in our hearts are invisible to all we meet. We don't "wear our hearts on our sleeves" each moment of every day, but in the same sense, we know how painful the wounds can be, because each of us has lived with pain.
No one bugs me when I'm reading.
At a recent school visit, few students attended first hour, having parents who are too busy sleeping in from a late night with drugs or alcohol to make sure their kids eat a healthy breakfast, are dressed properly, or kissed goodbye when they head out to class. When those kids finally arrived, we talked about why they love reading. Some common answers were "No one bugs me when I'm reading," and "I can hide in my room and read. It's quiet after everyone is in bed." Escaping from the chaos of their lives, learning to solve problems in different ways, seeing examples of courage and identifying with characters gives these kids hope, helps them develop empathy, and allows them to envision a life beyond the troubled walls of their birth families.
Art is the nearest thing to life...---George Elliot
As children, we are often drawn to reading for the simple reason that we love stories. Stories pull us out of our lives and into the lives of others. From characters, we learn to overcome struggles, to display courage in the face of fear, to laugh, to cry, to root for characters that have become our friends. "Mirror neurons" develop—neurons that fire in our brains as if we performed an action ourselves. When we immerse ourselves in a character's world, we develop empathy. Reading soon becomes self-medication. Not just a Band-Aid, but as George Elliot, an English novelist believed, "art is the nearest thing to life; it is a mode of amplifying experience and extending our contact with fellow-men beyond the bounds of our personal lot."
When we teach kids to read, we also demonstrate how to become well-rounded human beings who believe in the strength and value of each individual, as well as give them the gift of lifetime healing. We teach kids to crave equity, for themselves and others. By offering them stories of survival, overcoming obstacles and facing fear, we empower kids to be courageous.
Readers are more self-reliant individuals. They become better citizens, deeper thinkers and happier, less wounded people. I can't think of a better way to support our future leaders than to teach them to read.
Claudia Whitsitt is a former educator and the award-winning author of the Kids Like You series. Between the Lines, Beyond the Lines and Broken Lines teach many lessons, prompting readers to think about the value of friendship, equality, and tolerance. If you would like her to visit your school, you can find information by clicking HERE.
Continue to join in the conversation by reading about more thought-provoking ideas and resources below. Join us!
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