Reading, reading and more reading

As a child, I struggled as a reader. My mom loved to read and I remember her taking my brother and I on weekly visits to the library. We would come back with a stack of books. My books would sit collecting dust most of the week, untouched until heading back the following week to return the books and check out new ones. My brother’s pile, however, were all over the house. He read these books in his bed, on the orange shag carpet in the den, in the car, on the toilet (I guess?!?). I was more of a interpersonal communicator than individual reader. I talked. I acted, I danced. I read when I needed to, but it didn’t come easily to me and it wasn’t how I wanted to spend my time. I would rather climb the tree in the front yard or swing on the swings with my neighborhood friends.

Fast forward thirty years later and reading isn’t something I choose to do in my spare time, although I’m not swinging on swings often either! However, I do read. I enjoy it. Do I love it? No. I’m currently working on a few projects that require I read. Read a lot. And, it’s research. But, I’m enjoying it. I enjoy it because I love the work I’m doing. I’m trying to read as much as I can about sustainability. What makes a school program or project sustain? Even after the onsite assistance, or dollars, or resources go away? And, as I read, I come up with what I think are brilliant ideas (of course!). We should require a school health support question for every district superintendent we hire. We should make sure that at institutions of higher education include a course on school health in order to gain a school administrator license. Let’s make sure schools aren’t just implementing ‘cool’ programs, but those programs are effective and needed based on data driven decisions/prioritizing. 

So, I read as I know I need to. And with practice, it really isn’t so bad. I know I’d rather be bicycling or facilitating, or talking or writing even. But, it’s something I just have to do. With that, it’s time to dive back into the stack of articles sitting here by my desk!