The beginning of a new year often brings a new set of resolutions. Maybe someone wants to exercise every day or learn a new hobby. For Paducah Tilghman High School librarian Beth Wyant, the new year brought inspiration to form the #ReadHarderPaducah2021 challenge to encourage a love of reading among her students and the community.
As she began forming the challenge, she said she noticed how the COVID-19 pandemic had changed people’s reading habits. Students and teachers alike seemed to struggle with focus in the early days of last March and April, and their reading habits suffered.
“Simply put, 2020 tanked our reading habits,” Wyant wrote in an electronic newsletter. “And it’s no one’s fault. Fighting back, I decided to immerse myself in books that gave me joy. I surrounded myself with reading communities and created new reading challenges and goals. 2020 ended as my best reading year ever.”
That’s when Wyant decided to form a movement she calls #ReadHarderPaducah2021 that launched in her library and on social media.
A few days after beginning the Read Harder Paducah Facebook group, the page membership swelled to more than 100 members. The Instagram account grew to more than 40 followers, and Wyant said she believes that account will attract more students than adults since younger people tend to flock to Instagram more than Facebook. She has encouraged people in both social media communities to share what they are reading and comment on posts.
Wyant introduced the movement to her Tilghman students after winter break. Students returned to the classroom in a hybrid format, meaning that she saw one group one day and another group another day.
Wyant said she wants to create a “culture of reading” with her students and with the community. “Think about how can I read harder?” she said. “What if they have never read a book? We have kids who have never picked up a book before. What if they could push themselves to read one book? If they read three books, what if they could push themselves to read a book a month?”
And that sparks a movement of page turners. A culture of readers.
Wyant said she has feared that the constant addiction to phones and screens across all age groups might take a toll on reading habits, especially during the pandemic.
“I’d love to see it not just as a 2021 challenge but a continual community challenge,” Wyant said. “I want the kids to see that reading’s cool. Everybody’s reading.”
During the pandemic, Wyant connected with librarians across the country through social media and Zoom who have stretched her reading selections and enhanced her reading community.
“There’s this huge world of books out there for everybody to explore,” she said. “Reading and community is what I would like for them to see. You know it’s not just me, and it’s not a nerdy thing to do. You have this whole school trying to read harder, and it’s the community trying to read harder.”
Tips to start a reading habit:
- Get a library card to your local library. It’s free.
- Consider borrowing titles through Overdrive, Hoopla, or Libby apps for electronic devices. Most libraries subscribe to these services.
- Set a reading goal. Start small and build.
- Keep a book in your bag or car.
- Rather than scrolling your phone while waiting for appointments, read a book.
- Read 10-20 pages a day.
- No time to read a physical copy? Load an audiobook on your phone to read during chores, exercise, or your commute.
- Find a topic or genre that interests you. You are no longer reading books for school assignments, so find something you enjoy.
