It's Not Just Students Who Need to Read Books

This blog was inspired by a recent post I made on X. The comments from educators and administrators led me to expand on my reasoning behind the statement. Hopefully, the conversation will continue.

If I were a principal interviewing prospective teachers, one question I would ask every candidate is “What is the best book you’ve read this year?” Aside from the likelihood of prompting some interesting conversations, the responses would provide valuable insights and help discern whether the candidate is someone who would harmonize with and enrich the type of culture I would strive to create as a school administrator: a culture of intellectual curiosity, diversity of thought, respect for others, and an appreciation for the written word.

For starters, if the candidate could provide the title of a book at all, it would alleviate a sad but real concern. Unfortunately, it is no longer safe to assume that every applicant with a college degree or teaching credential is highly literate. According to recent data, “About 130 million U.S. adults (54% of those aged 16–74) read below a sixth-grade level”. College professors, even in elite universities, have lamented the poor reading habits and abilities of their students.

Sadly, students in education programs are not the exception to this trend. I once attended a professional development conference for educators where attendees were asked to read passages aloud from a novel written for middle school students. I was stunned by what I heard. Fluency is a key component of literacy, and some teachers struggled mightily in this area. It was disheartening.

I don’t mention this to disparage anyone, but rather to emphasize the need to ensure that the adults charged with teaching literacy skills (and every teacher, regardless of grade or subject, has been given that charge) are themselves fully proficient readers. “What is the best book you read this year?” can provide a clue to the applicant’s ability. If they haven’t read a book in the past year, it could signal that reading is not an easy or pleasurable experience for them, which would raise some concern.

In addition to ensuring a highly literate teaching staff, as an administrator, I would want a pool of teachers who were intellectually curious. The best educators are those who remain students in some form or fashion themselves, and books are often among the best teachers. Whether the books provide insight into effective teaching methods, building birdhouses, or better understanding the human condition, there is a certain humility exhibited by those who choose to read and learn from them. That humility and desire to learn will be noticed (and hopefully emulated) by their students and colleagues.

The concept of ‘diversity’ has been abused and perverted in recent years, but ‘diversity of thought’ is still vital to a healthy educational environment, and books can contribute to creating an atmosphere where it is welcomed and encouraged. The proposed interview question would help me curate a teaching staff that would bring diverse thoughts and ideas to the table; a lesson I learned around our family dinner table.

When my four children were young, I would occasionally make trips to the public library while they were in school to restock their supply. I knew which genre each one preferred and would leave with a pile of fantasy books for my oldest son, mysteries and ghost stories for my second son, a mix of books about animals and sports for my third son, and plenty of mermaid tales and fairy stories for my daughter.

Their preferences for what they read independently varied widely, but that variation led to great dinnertime and car-ride conversations where they could share information and stories with each other. Sometimes those conversations motivated their siblings to read a book they might not have chosen on their own. This type of motivation can happen among adults as well.

I wouldn’t ask candidates to share the best book they read with the intention of hiring teachers who all provided the same or similar answers. Rather, my goal would be to bring together a team with varied interests and genre preferences. The hope is that they would discuss the books they’ve read (or hope to read) with their colleagues, share why they enjoyed them, and spur coworkers to pick up a book they otherwise would not have chosen.

If you’ve spent any time working in a school, you know that the teacher’s lounge can often be a breeding ground for negativity and discontent. Imagine if, instead of a toxic environment that fomented division, it was a wholesome place that spurred healthy conversations about books. As an administrator, I would seek out teachers who have the desire and ability to discuss and grapple with ideas rather than gossip or grumble about individuals in the teacher’s lounge.

Finally, I would want a teaching staff that valued and appreciated the written word. At a time when Americans are reading fewer books than ever before, I would want to ensure that the teachers in my school were mavericks in that regard. I would want students in my building to hear their teachers enthusiastically discuss the books they’re currently reading and see them excitedly lend the book they just finished to their colleague as they pass in the hallway. I would want a teaching staff that modeled for students how much joy reading can bring.

If I were a principal interviewing prospective teachers for my school, I would ask plenty of practical questions about classroom management and pedagogy. The responses to those questions would be important, but the candidates’ responses to “What is the best book you read this year?” would likely prove most clarifying. Though I’ll never have the chance to interview prospective teachers, hopefully this will inspire a principal somewhere to include it in their interview questions going forward.