The Powerful Grandmother & Future Readers
By Dr. Nosakhere Griffin-EL
Last summer, I was a reading volunteer in libraries throughout the city of Pittsburgh. One recurring theme I observed was the following: children who came to the library with their grandmothers tended to be good readers. As the summer concluded, I realized the power of grandmothers in teaching children how to read. Below is a reflection on the importance of grandmothers in supporting the next generation of readers.
One day, a black boy was ushered over to me to read a book. Apart of the Carnegie Public Library’s Reading Buddies program was for students to read with a reading volunteer. Once they completed a book, they would receive points for reading and a snack. This third grader and I sat at the table and began reading.
During our reading session, this young man read with ease. He was able to decode difficult words and answer questions about the story. I was extremely impressed with him because I encountered children his age who struggled with reading and were disengaged from it. This young man on the other hand had a love of reading.
When the session ended, he walked over to his grandmother, who was sitting in the adult section of the library. As I was waiting for another young person to read with, I decided to walk over an introduce myself to his grandmother. I began asking her a few questions about reading.
My first question was: what was the secret to teaching kids to read? She replied, “I love reading. I read to his mother. His mother reads to him. And when he’s with me I make him read.” What she expressed was a cycle of reading, but I wanted to go deeper. I said, “Are you a former teacher?” She replied, “No, I just always loved reading and always kept books in my house.”
In conclusion, this intergenerational reading tradition began with the grandmother reading to the mother, now the mother reads to the child, and the child who is a good reader. Reflecting on this conversation and other conversations with grandmothers in libraries, I believe they are powerful agents in shaping the next generation of readers. In sum, a movement seeking improve reading achievement in the Black community has to include powerful-grandmothers as an essential element to the solution!
