Voluntary Participation

​Teachers are overwhelmed with daily curriculum demands, so the last thing they need to be told is they have to add something to their already overflowing plates.  For this reason, participation in Just Read needs to be voluntary.  After all, one of the main premises of free reading is that choice brings engagement.  The same concept applies to teacher involvement in the process as well.  One reason sustained silent reading programs fail in schools is that teachers who are not enthusiastic about the time involved communicate this lack of enthusiasm to their students. The result is thirty minutes of students of students twirling books around on their desks while the teacher grades papers.  Enthusiasm for the project is vital to its success.

Flexibiltiy

 Some sustained silent reading programs have the entire school reading at the same time, but that can be disruptive to the school day.  Allowing teachers to choose when and how long the students will free read (using the Just Read Contract) will give teachers ownership and increase the likelihood of continued participation. 

Charter Team

Some teachers will already be interested in giving their students this opportunity, so start with these seed teachers as a charter team.  When these teachers are celebrated during the school year, participation will be attractive instead of demanding. Interested teachers will start asking if they can participate. The input of this charter team should be valued and used in the planning process to give a school wide sense of ownership.