Middle School Book Group - Summary

In October, I boldly (naively) jumped into coordinating this book group for ten 7th grade students at our middle school who had been identified as at-risk for high school graduation. (Working with the Graduation Coach at the school from CIS (Communities In Schools) of Atlanta, the nation’s largest community-based dropout prevention network.)

Ten weeks later, we had our last meeting of the Books & Breakfast Group on Monday, Dec. 17th. This was an amazing experience, as much a learning experience for me as I hope it was for them. My purpose with this, my hope, was to help them find books appropriate to their needs and interests, to engage them in conversation, spark enthusiasm and interest in skills which will help them succeed in middle school, and successfully make the leap to high school, graduation and beyond.

All ten of the kids made it through to the end and attended our last session (granted, there were Krispy Kreme donuts involved, but still--). Over the ten weeks, the kids got some refresh in media center skills, reading and how to find great books. They chose the three books we read and discussed, from the Coretta Scott King Award and Newbery Medal Lists.

By generous donation from the Midtown Education Committee/Midtown Neighbor’s Association (Atlanta), we were able to provide copies of each book for each student to keep for his/her personal library. This meant a lot to them. They were really excited about the books and engaged in the reading and discussion we did in the Monday morning meetings. They also appreciated the fruit, granola/cereal bars and juice/water from Publix at Plaza Midtown (Atlanta) each week.

There were so many special moments during the ten weeks with this group. They are busy and active 7th graders, so we certainly operated on the edge of chaos most of the time, and I learned more about Chris Brown and hip-hop than any 40 year old white woman should know! But along the way, just as one example, 3 of the 10 kids who walked into the room the first week, who were so withdrawn and apprehensive, they would barely speak to me or look me in the eye – all 3 of these kids (two girls and a boy), were reading out loud in the group by the last weeks, comfortable and confident. (If I have told you this already, you know I tend to get teary-eyed at this point!)

I think we had a couple of kids there for the food every week, and that’s okay; a couple others were there for the social event, and that’s okay, too. They all read and participated, to one degree or another.

Here’s what the kids had to say, in a brief survey at the end (I got responses from all because I exchanged a wrapped gift (another book!) for a completed survey):

What did you like best about Books & Breakfast?

• “I love it”
• “That we read more than one book”
• “We got to read and eat”
• “I like when we eat and talk”
• “That we learned a lot about people’s life”
• “I liked how we ate and read and talked about the book”
• “Everything”
• “I really would like to come back”
• “I wish we could do it again”
• "It was fun and I would like to do it again"

(They were all so disappointed, when they realized we would not be coming back after the winter break.) It is a lot of work and coordination, but all very worthwhile. These kids are and can be truly amazing, given a chance.

More info about Middle School Book Group on The Rebel Blog:
PTA Volunteer - Middle School Book Group
Middle School Book Group - 10 Great Book Selections
Middle School Book Group - Treasure Hunt & Selection
Middle School Book Group - Award Lists
Middle School Book Group - How Do You Get Them To READ?
Back To Our Normal Programming - Middle School Book Group