Classroom Library Refresh

by Kelly Virgin

As the school year came to a close, I took a moment to look around my empty classroom—and something caught my eye: a thick layer of dust on many of the books in my lending library. After 20 years of teaching high school English, I’ve built quite the collection… maybe too big, if I’m being honest. While offering choice is essential, too much choice can actually overwhelm students.

So I rolled up my sleeves and started weeding out books. Channeling my inner Marie Kondo, I asked myself, “Does this book spark joy in my student readers?” Most of the process was instinctual, but here’s a general breakdown of what stayed—and what didn’t—for my student population:

Stays (joy-sparking titles):

• Dust-free titles (any books that were routinely borrowed)
• Quick reads (graphic novels, novels in verse, etc.)
• Relatable stories with diverse, teen protagonists navigating real-life challenges
• Readable content at or below students’ reading levels

Goes (joyless titles):

• Dusty titles (books that hadn’t been borrowed in years)
• Doorstop-sized classics
• Obscure or overly complex fantasy/sci-fi
• Outdated publications
• Books above students’ current reading levels

With help from a few awesome student volunteers, I gave many of the castoff books a second life in a new hallway community library. As a bonus, each volunteer walked away with a few titles they discovered while sorting—books they were actually excited to read.

Kelly Virgin is a WCWP teacher leader who teaches high school English for the Kennett Consolidated School District.