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By DREW NEUENSCHWANDER
Imagine a school that is full of students and yet as silent as an empty building. Better yet, picture two schools this way, one for 20 minutes and the other for 25 minutes. This mental picture may not be easy to conceive; few things hold typical students engrossed for more than a split second. Yet such a description characterizes Bluffton Middle School and Bluffton High School during their respective Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) periods.
Sustained Silent Reading can be described as an individualized English class in which students progress at their own rates, reading material that interests them. Terry Burns, the Bluffton High School librarian, says the reading program aims to provide “something of interest to everyone.”
The high school is beginning its fifth year in the program while the middle school is entering its second year. The high school’s program runs from 9 to 9:25 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The middle’s school’s SSR time occupies the last 20 minutes of each school day.
Both programs have similar guidelines. During SSR, students report to their home rooms where they read newspapers, books or magazines. At the high school, reading materials are logged on a reading sheet; generally, everyone in the room — including the teacher — participates. At both schools, novels assigned as part of an English class are considered acceptable reading material; otherwise, the class revolves around student individuality and preference.
Often, students sit down before the bell rings. Some dissect newspapers, selecting and distributing various sections to interested classmates. Sports buffs analyze scores and statistics while others take note of local and national news or skim through editorials. Occasionally, a scramble will ensue for the latest Popular Mechanics or Sports Illustrated.
Apart from that material, supplied to the home room teachers, students are allowed to read books from any genre that they desire. Novels from home or from the library are laughed at, cried over or sweated upon. Then the bell rings and students begin talking as they vacate their seats. Students who share the mutual bond of reading the same book share their observations and speculations. Other students dwell on a particular book so much that they struggle to put it out of their minds as they get on with the school day. Books are reviewed and recommended, rated and traded, hashed out and, in some cases, tossed out.
All of this happens in a single 25-minute period and the feverish fringe of minutes before and after.
The high school’s program, which was originally called EPR (Endless Possibilities through Reading), started out slowly at first. It was uncertain how the concept would be perceived by students who expected their home room to operate as a study hall. Burns recalls that most of the faculty supported the idea; they simply wanted to be shown that the students would cooperate and make measurable strides toward academic improvement. For this reason, SSR was observed only by freshman one day a week during its pilot year.
The following year, the program increased to three days, observed by both freshmen and sophomores. Also that year, a Dollar General grant furnished the school’s library with a greater variety of books, giving the reading program a fresh lease on life. By its third year, improved reading scores on SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Tests), ISTEP+ (Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress), STAR (Standardized Test of Achievement in Reading) and NWEA (North West Evaluation Association) tests had rallied sufficient support for the SSR program to develop schoolwide.
Of course, not all students are thrilled by the prospect of reading.
“I’ve never been involved in something that has made everybody happy,” observed Rick Mettler, assistant principal at Bluffton Middle School. However, he was quick to point out that conduct during the middle school’s SSR has been outstanding with only minor exceptions. He attributed this to scholastic trends in which classes have become “more structured and more regimented.” For this reason, he said, “kids really appreciate a chance to relax and unwind. And when students enjoy being in a class in school, discipline problems tend to take care of themselves.”
Wayne Barker, the assistant principal at the high school, said disciplinary referrals during SSR tend to be rare at BHS as well. His explanation was similar to Mettler’s.
“I think our students have enjoyed reading,” Barker said. “Some have been reluctant to participate, but it has been a successful program overall ... When students are actively engaged in anything, there is a much greater chance that their behavior will be appropriate.”
What is the goal of SSR? “Skill building,” according to Burns, who noted that reading requires practice just like any other activity or sport. Mettler supplied a similar answer, saying that he hoped the program at the middle school would encourage students to get in the habit of reading outside of school.
Another purpose of the programs is to raise students’ reading levels. Setting arduous school-wide benchmarks would be futile. While it is improbable that all students will end up reading thick novels and classic literature, Burns observed that reading newspapers and magazines might serve students equally well by developing their practical reading skills. While understanding Shakespeare might not be necessary for most people, it is necessary to be able to study a driver’s training pamphlet, follow written instructions from one’s boss, or fill out insurance forms.
What is SSR’s future? Eager to improve on the status quo, Burns speculates about a number of additions to the program, such as combining classes, alternating the scenery by moving classes into other rooms, or allowing classes to read outside. She suggested that classes hold book-based discussions, view films based on books, allow students to share outtakes from personal reading materials, or read selected passages aloud to their classes. Measures such as these would aim to revitalize the reading experience for students, keeping it fresh and enjoyable while avoiding the bland monotony of routine.
Prompting students to explore new terrain is apparently what SSR has always been about. By allowing the student body greater freedom, the program lengthens the learners’ leashes, allowing them to scan and process material at their own pace. SSR pushes students to find their identities by presenting knowledge and to take accountability for their own education by offering them freedom.
The greatest freedom of all is the quantum of personal selection: reading the book of one’s choosing. It is only natural for high school and middle school students in SSR to start out reading within their comfort zones, but given time, exercise and the natural catalyst of human curiosity, students’ literary repertoires grow and branch out to encompass new subject areas, styles and genres.
“Every kid learns differently,” noted Mettler, “and that is the art of teaching.”
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