Here’s another feel-good Kindle story:
My colleague, who is teaching a classics unit in English 12, checked in with a student today on her progress on The Catcher in the Rye. At the beginning of the unit, the student had expressed frustration and called the book boring.
My colleague knew that the student struggles with reading. So she suggested that the student check out a Kindle.
Apparently, the Kindle has made a huge difference. My colleague said that her student loves her book now. The reason: being able to change the font size. The Kindle’s adjustable text sizes allow the student to enlarge the typeface and increase the amount of space between lines.
In other words, all that was necessary to connect a struggling reader with classic literature was a larger font.
When I heard this story, I was elated. This student is just three months from graduation, and reading has frustrated her for many years. Because she trusts her teacher, however, the student was able to open up and seek support.
And now, reading on her Kindle, the student will likely complete her first book in her high school career.
* * *
The story doesn’t end there. Today at Lunch, the student entered my classroom and gave me a copy of today’s San Francisco Examiner. “You should read this, Mr. Isero,” she said. It was an article about the effects of state budget cuts on community colleges.
It might be a stretch to say that the Kindle caused her to become interested in reading the news and sharing articles with her teachers. But it seemed like a strange coincidence.