Slice of Life Tuesday: Awkward Conferring Moments

"I don't read. I don't do reading. I don't do books." 

A fourteen-year-old student, *Ellen, shared these three strong phrases with me today while I was conferring with her. 

I have been observing Ellen's reading behavior during our daily independent reading time for the last few days. She selected a thick book. She's quiet as we read. She turns pages every few minutes. She even uses a book mark. It looks like she is reading and enjoying it. 

Yet in the first few moments of our conversation, she couldn't tell me what her book was about. At all. She couldn't provide me with any predictions or even a superficial connection. She did not have anything to share that she thought was worthy to talk about.

"How did you select this book?" I asked Ellen.
"It looked cool, " Ellen replied.
"Tell me more about what you are thinking. What made it look cool?" I prompted.
"Um. I liked the cover?" She responded.
"Oh, sometimes looking at the cover is a great way to pick out books. I am often attracted to great covers too. What did you like about the cover?"
"I don't know....oh, I liked the lettering," She said. I nodded.
"Did you read the back to see if it looked like a book you might enjoy?"
She shook her head no.
"Did you page through the book?"
Another head nod of no.
"Hmm...Maybe it isn't a good reading fit for you if you cannot think if anything to talk about." I wondered out loud. 
Ellen nodded.  
"Would you want to take a look at a book about design?" I was thinking of introducing her with a design book like Chip Kidd's Go. 
"Nah. I'm good. This book is okay." 
"Maybe I could help you find a book that you like to read. What are you interested in?"
Ellen simply stared at me. 

I let a few moments of uncomfortable silence pass between us. 

"Ellen, can you remember a book that you read in the past that you really liked?" I asked.
"Not really."
"Is there a title you remember reading last year or in seventh grade?" I asked.
"No."
"What about from elementary school?"
"I told you. I don't do books."
I tried to hold my heavy sigh inside. 

Finally, I asked if Ellen if she had ever tried reading a graphic novel. She hadn't. Although not all students like reading graphic novels, I have found that many of my most reluctant readers are willing to read a few pages of a graphic novel. I gave a few book talks of two  graphic novels: Raina Telgemeier's Drama and Terri Libenson's Invisible Emmie. Reluctantly, she said that she would try Drama. 

My conferring session with Ellen ended up lasting nearly ten minutes, almost the entire time that I had to confer with students in class today. By the time I handed her Drama, our reading time was over, and I did not get the chance to confer with anyone else. 

Fellow readers, this was an awkward conferring session.These are the kind of conferring sessions that make me cringe and fill me with anxiety. I want each conferring session to run smoothly and efficiently, but this didn't happen today.

However, I know more about Ellen as a reader than I did yesterday. In addition, I have a better sense of what some next steps may be with Ellen.

Not so long ago (maybe six years ago) I wasn't conferring. I told myself (and colleagues) that I didn't think that older students (middle school and up) really needed it. In reality, I was intimidated. I felt so unprepared as a teacher, and I didn't know how to confer well. However, I have learned that the more I confer with my students, the more comfortable I am with awkward conversations like the one with Ellen today. It makes me strive to become ever better at conferring. 

*A pseudonym 

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