Books travel through the halls of Northview, building connection, curiosity, and community in ways only a passion for reading can inspire. Book by book, Northview Public School’s English Department continues to build passion and love for literature.
A community of readers is one shaped by imagination, conversation, and a shared discovery. Within the high school’s English Department, teachers intentionally nurture a culture of reading in their classrooms. Through their daily choice reading, book focused discussions, and conversations sparked by a shared love of written words, teachers are not only promoting literacy but also building meaningful connections with their students through published stories on their classroom bookshelves. Every day a classroom in the high school witnesses pages turning and dialogue unfolding as passionate teachers continue to guide their students towards discovering books that truly resonate with their hearts. The English Department is committed to fostering positive reading relationships, placing stories in students’ hands and watching the first page unfold into worlds far greater than the words alone. To Northview’s English Department the quiet turn of a page holds more than words could ever say.
While reading builds community, it also offers something quieter and deeply personal. Somewhere along the way for AP Seminar and AP Language and Composition educator Janelle Miles, reading became something more than an assignment. Miles sees the stories on her shelves as a steady place for her students to pause and breathe.
“Students who regularly participate in choice reading enjoy a variety of benefits. At the most baseline level it reduces their stress. You get a chance to escape into a world that is away from your own,” Miles said.
Community may be built in literacy based conversation, but to English 12 and AP (Advance Placement) Seminar educator, Alex Hower it’s strengthened in the quiet exchange of a book. Beyond the grades and assignments lies something simple yet powerful, the act of handing a student a book. To Hower in this moment of exchange, reading becomes something personal.
“It is so fun to walk back there, grab a book, and say, I think you’ll like this one and then give it to someone. It engages that one-on-one relationship,” Hower said.
The simple act of placing a book in a student’s hand does more than encourage reading, it leaves a lasting impression on students. For senior AP Literature and Composition student Lacey Jones, what began as a recommendation grew into a personal reminder that someone is paying attention.
“I’ve been able to connect with teachers over different books, especially Mrs. Whetstone. I connected with her over some of the books I was reading, and she would give me suggestions of which books she thinks I would like. I was able to connect with Mrs. Porter too,” Jones said. “It feels nice when the teachers know that you specifically would like this book. Teachers have said ‘I read this book, and I thought of you, I think you would really like it.’ It makes me feel happy when teachers are interested in my interests, it’s really nice to be able to talk about it.”
Connection does not end once a book is handed over. In Hower’s classroom, reading becomes an opportunity to learn about his students’ passions and individual reading life. Reading has become the bridge between students and teachers that grows with every page.
“It’s very important to talk about books. It becomes something that continues to build relationships. You learn what students like, their interests, and all different stuff about them,” Hower said. “Especially once they know what type of books they want, they’ll come and talk to me a lot about those books and it’s very fun when students give me new books to read to.”
When teachers share their passion for a story, the pages seem to open just a little wider. Jones experienced this connection firsthand in AP Literature, when a conversation expanded her comprehension of the world within the novel.
“When I read ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ for AP Lit, Mrs. Porter and I were talking a lot about it and that helped me. I was able to understand more because she provided more context on what was actually happening. It’s a lot easier to learn when they’re [teachers] more passionate.” Jones said.
Not every student connects with the book immediately, for some students reading is a challenge. Miles sees every hesitant reader as a possibility, she believes the connection simply hasn’t happened yet. Miles believes the right story has a way of finding its reader.
“The belief with that for me is that you haven’t found the right book yet. Everyone has to find the one or their one author, and then that just opens it up,” Miles said. “Life’s too short to read a book you don’t like.”
Within Northview classrooms, encouragement never stops. For Miles, the bond between students and their books must be intentionally protected and nurtured with the gentle, passionate care of a teacher.
“You just have to keep preaching. You have to keep preaching to them about the beauty of it. The benefits of it and telling stories about it and imagining a world without reading and how terrible that world would be, “ Miles said.
While passion fuels reading, structure sustains it. English nine educator, Kaley Johnson has woven weekly reflection for students’ choice reading books into her classroom, ensuring that each page read carries intention. In her classroom, Johnson approached choice reading with transparency, building both leadership and accountability into the process.
“I’m trying something different this year. . .But I’m having them do a moment reaction and a quote thought every week. In their notebook, they have to write two things from their book,” Johnson said. “What happened in your book? What did you think about that? And then write down one quote from what you read this week and why you put that quote. Just building in some accountability of you have to be doing something every week for your choice reading”
Within Johnson’s freshman classes, something has taken shape beyond the pages of their books since installing weekly reflections. Over the school year, as Johnson observed the quiet shift in her classroom she has seen collaborative and confident conversations becoming deeper and students begin connecting with each other.
“I feel like my two freshman classes are a really close group and they’re all willing to share and talk to each other. We do socratic seminars, and they all have really good, deep discussions, and they’re really on their A game. I am very impressed with my freshman,” Johnson said.
At the heart of the Northview English Department is choice. In classrooms shaped by choice reading, books become personal to each student’s literary identities. For Jones, choice reading changed the way she experienced the story in her hands.
“I liked choosing my own book. A lot of times if I’m not interested and don’t want to read a book, I’m not gonna be able to finish it. Getting to choose what I read was really nice, because then I was actually interested in reading,” Jones said.
Among the teachers shaping this culture is Hower. He believes the passion for reading begins with choice. For Hower, the impact of reading is not measured solely in comprehension and grades but rather through the connections made along the way. In his classroom reading has become the foundation for creating connection and building relationships with students.
“It’s a community builder. We all talk about books on a daily basis. Sometimes it’s a formal book talk. Sometimes it’s informal. Sometimes students come up and talk about them and it creates the vibe of everyone here talks about books, we all care about books, they are here,” Hower said.
As the department looks ahead, Johnson sees choice reading as something that must be continually nurtured, not just for confident readers, but for those still searching for the story that resonates within them. By giving students freedom and guidance, she believes they can begin to find their page in the world of books.
“It’s important that we continue the desire for choice reading. Not every kid comes to high school wanting to read. So it’s really about helping kids figure out what they like to read,” Johnson said, “I think my job is to give them more resources to figure out what kind of reader they are.”
The importance of choice reading writes its story into the history of Northview’s literary impact. For Hower, each book builds a new connections through the Northview district by promoting a shared passion for books.
“We care about choice reading. We care about students finding books that reflect who they are,” Hower said. “Within students, within teachers, and within the entire district as a whole. Since this is an initiative that’s in the middle school and in the high school, students see that throughout, we just care about choice.”
The love of reading at Northview extends beyond the page, reaching into classrooms, hallways, and the hearts of teachers and students. At Northview, choice reading is more than a classroom practice, it’s a reflection of care woven through every grade, every teacher, and every story shared. As a community, they continue to preserve and grow this literary community. Teachers protect reading time within their classrooms and guide students towards stories that resonate with them. Students are given the liberating freedom to choose the books they immerse themselves into. Within the Northview English Department, books are not just read, they are lived, discussed and carried forward into the hearts of students and educators. The Northview English Department continues to write their page in a community where stories open doors, spark curiosity, and shape minds, page by page.
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