March is Reading Month here at Rogers City Elementary School and my students are all pumped up to reach our goal of reading 1,300 books by the end of the month.  I have all faith that they can do it.  We figured out the math of how much we are already reading as a class:  22 students each reading 2 books a night for homework, multiply that by 5 nights, then multiply that by 4 weeks.  That is almost 900 books a month being read by my first graders!  That means each of my students is reading about 40 books per month.  I asked my students -- who all sat with their mouths wide open at the news of how much they are actually (really!) reading what they thought it would be like if they DIDN'T read those 40 books a month.  Many of the answers were the same and they understood immediately:  they would not be improving as readers.  I can't stress enough how important it is to lay those tracks of early reading skills at this age level.  I can't imagine what a different class I would have if they weren't doing their nightly reading.  So yes, it can get tiring and this time of year...it can be a battle.  But, when March rolls around and the motivation of Reading Month kicks in -- I just love seeing them jump up to grab a book, find a comfy spot in the room.....and READ. 

 I think I'll go home and read, too.