Chapter 13: Creating the Confidence to Respond

This chapter is about increasing student confidence so that they are willing to learn. While we may admit that a text is hard, we shouldn't say to our students that it's so hard we'll skip it. I think that we should be realistic about our texts and tell our students something along the lines "Yes, this text is pretty hard. But if we work together, I'm sure we'll be able to handle it." Something that tells the student, yes, this text is hard but it's not unattainable. Also, another important section was about making sure the students know they belong. The teacher and the students should know each others' names because this help creates a sense of familiarity. As Beers points out, it's easier to critique negatively the unnamed student, but when we know that kid's name is Joe, then we are more likely to realize that this student is a person as well and deserves respect. Beers also stresses the importance of connecting students with the right book. While a student may have a positive attitude toward reading but don't seem to read a lot, they may simply have not found a book that interests them.