Demonstrating that I am a reader

Living in a house with two other teachers has probably been one of the most helpful aspects in my own journey to becoming a teacher. It is amazing how many ideas I have gotten from hearing them talk about their own teaching experiences and learning both from the good and the bad things that they have tried. One of my roommates teaches middle school and she explained to me that one of the most helpful tools she uses to help her students become excellent readers is posting her own book list on the front of her desk. This book list serves many purposes. For one, it helps keep her accountable by making her read a middle school level book every couple weeks. This allows her to know what the children are talking about and helps keep her connected to her students. Secondly, this allows her students to see that she is a reader herself and that she doesn't just want them to read but she finds reading important for herself as well. Third, this gives her the opportunity to recommend good books to her students and she is able to give detailed summaries about different books.
The reason I found this advice so helpful is because these kids look up to and respect their teachers and I think that as a teacher, showing students that you are a reader and are excited about reading can really impact their own views on reading. I can see myself using this in my own classroom even if I am teaching at a younger level. Showing my students that I am a consistent reader is very important in helping them see the importance of reading. I could see myself maybe even creating two lists. A list of 'adult' books that I enjoy as well as a list of books that I recommend for them. Helping kids find the excitement is reading is in my opinion one of the most important things you can do as a teacher.