A teacher reading a children’s book with her class is hardly something to attract attention – except when those students are in middle school. But this innovative strategy has helped earn Kellie Clark-Chan, a sixth-grade teacher at Virginia Allred Stacy Jr/Sr High School in Lackland ISD and UTSA student, the KENS5 Excel Award.
While this approach might seem unusual, Clark-Chan thinks it’s underutilized.
“I don’t think students are read to enough and I think there is value in hearing reading and value in just enjoying a book collectively,” she said. “It’s really hard not to enjoy a book collectively when it’s fun, or funny, or silly, or something that brings you back to your childhood, especially for those older students.”
The idea came to her last year after she and her students had to revert to virtual learning. When she saw that the kids were unhappy with the situation, she began looking for ways to make the lesson more engaging, but also uplifting. She found that reading the children’s books distressed her and that the kids, despite their initial reservations, were beginning to look forward to them. As a result, she says, the books became a part of her classes even when in-person learning resumed.
While she originally saw the books as teaching tools – an opportunity to analyze a story, find themes, or point out figurative language – the storybooks have taken on a different role in her classes. Rather than tying the books to what her students were learning, she instead relates them to their experiences.
“The purpose of this is very much a socioemotional moment,” she explained. “A lot of times I’ll try and find books that match the students in my classroom.”
Whether that’s selecting Spanish texts for her Spanish-speaking students, or choosing books that focus on issues like bullying or personal identity, Clark-Chan sees these stories as mirroring her students’ lives and experiences, something she says is very important.
“And sometimes they’re just really silly and funny, and [they] need that too, and that’s also important,” she said.
Clark-Chan says this shift in philosophy is a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the toll it was taking on her students.
“The last thing these students need is another stressor, so I’m focusing so much more on their wellbeing, and checking in, and having a moment for us to just laugh and be silly or get a little off task and have a conversation,” she said.
“The last thing these students need is another stressor, so I’m focusing so much more on their wellbeing, and checking in, and having a moment for us to just laugh and be silly or get a little off task and have a conversation,” she said.
While she’s considered modifying her approach to keep things interesting – she wants to involve her students more in the selection and reading of books – she thinks the program is here to stay.
“I don’t think this is ever going to go away,” she said, “I think it’s very worthwhile. To my students, it’s kind of become the thing I’m known for…. I’d definitely suggest this, especially for newer teachers who are looking for a way to connect with their students and maybe having a hard time doing that.” Her first word of advice to other teachers? Start searching for books during the summer.
When Clark-Chan isn’t in her classroom or scouring the San Antonio Public Library for more books, she’s taking classes at UTSA to complete her certification as a reading specialist. She says her goal is to work with children with reading disabilities and that her work in the program has given her new ideas for working with her own students.
“I’ve had the opportunity to complete fieldwork in some of my courses, so being able to learn reading strategies and apply them one on one with an actual student has been super helpful,” she said. “I’m constantly learning things in class that I’m trying in my own classroom as well.”
Her dedication to her students and commitment to learning and developing new techniques are all reasons she was nominated for the KENS 5 Excel Award.
“Knowing that my colleagues voted for me has been extremely touching,” Clark-Chan said. “I am proud to work at Lackland ISD, and being recognized and supported like this by the staff has been extra special.”
-Christopher Reichert
See Clark-Chan receive the KENS 5 Excel Award here.