Silence is Golden: Cultivating Lifelong Readers at Explorer West

Ever notice that we live in a loud and busy world? EW performs a simple daily ritual to quiet things down and gain a little quality time with ourselves – but together!

For about 6 years EW has enjoyed a tradition of 15 minutes of quiet choice reading after lunch, 4-5 days each week. The rules are simple. Sit by yourself (all together in the gym) and read what you like, but not homework, magazines, or comics. Read a book that fuels your curiosity, imagination, or your personal interests. Reading preferences are as varied as the students themselves, from science fiction to mystery and horror, from fantasy to the science, and from teen romance to literary classics.

Here is a sampling of EW student comments about silent reading:

It gives us a chance to get lost in our own world before returning to school.

What I’m reading is like a little movie.

Everyone is together.

You can take a break from your life and get immersed in another person’s life.

You don’t have to read on a schedule.

I get to read horror books that are about vampires and demons.

It opens a world of imagination and opportunities.

Everyone is totally silent and engrossed in their books.

Everyone is connected in silence.

It feels like a library – silent for once.

People don’t yell!

Alone, with a book, you don’t have to care about anything else.

I can slip into my book and block everything out.

EW STUDENTS CAME UP WITH THESE METAPORS FOR SILENT READING AT EW, WHICH IS LIKE…

Silent dew on a mountainside.

The last snowflake of winter.

Going to the movies with your friends.

Living in a book.

The quiet lushness of a high mountain valley.

Eating a pickle. You can enjoy it right now, but not all day.

Research on Sustained Silent Reading has shown that it does not necessarily improve reading comprehension or guarantee higher test scores. That is not our goal with “SSR.” There is broad consensus amongst researchers and practitioners (like us!) that SSR succeeds in developing lifelong readers when choice, regularity, and staff involvement are its central features.

Our outdoor education program helps students learn to be self-sufficient and happy in the wilderness and many of our graduates will pursue the outdoors into adulthood as a source of lifelong recreation and joy. Similarly, it is our hope that by supporting personal reading we are cultivating lifelong readers.