The School as Mediator when Constituting the Family of Readers

Never has there been so much talk about reading and, particularly, never has there been so much investment in projects and programs with the purpose of breeding readers. For many, however, access to written materials takes place primarily at school. Therefore a substantial part of the investments is directed to the preparation of the readers in their school years. So much so that, for many, the completion of Secondary Education buries definitively the access to diversified reading, to the library, to living with the texts and the multiple possibilities of meetings and dialogues that the act of reading provides.

The second edition of "Retratos da Leitura no Brasil," held by the Institute Pró-Livro, showed the following results:

• • Number of readers: 95 million

• • Number of non-readers: 77 million

• • Number of books purchased: 1.2 books per inhabitant/year (results 36.2 million Buyers of books)

• • Number of books read: 4.7 books per inhabitant/year.

The Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (IPEA) announced in its statement number 129, of January 10, 2012 that 5,187 municipalities have public libraries, and 378 municipalities do not have any. That alone would justify the transformation of school libraries and reading rooms throughout the country in spaces open to the community.

Through the Program Read and Write [Programa Ler e Escrever¹], we have encouraged schools to develop projects to promote reading, aimed at the participation of the family in different contexts of reading. The goal of the program is to create young readers who actively enjoy reading different sorts of literature and are driven to participate in literary culture. We believe that the reverse path—that is, the participation of the school constructing a family-based reading culture—can be a determining factor for the full inclusion of pupils in the community of readers. Interaction between readers is essential, both for the training of the reader and in the hope that they will continue to read throughout his or her life.

The "Literary Bag" Project

The "Literary Bag"² project is part of a set of proposals to encourage reading. It includes events such as literary soirees and other parties, reading time, continuous silent reading,³ and open library (sharing books with members of the community). All schools in the state education network perform one or more versions of these projects. It is important to keep in mind that many Brazilian schools carry out projects and programs to encourage reading. They rely on partnerships with foundations, Departments of Culture and Education, and NGOs, among other social agents.

When we began training with the educational coordinators and school principals in 2007, our main task was to facilitate the proposals developed by schools. In general, the disfiguration of reading as a cultural practice is both for the children and the family. Schools often organize post-reading activities in order to assess reading comprehension and ensure that the children are, in fact, reading. Children are commonly encouraged to draw or summarize their stories, while parents are invited to answer questionnaires. In this context, the role of training is to promote the redefinition of social uses of reading.

In the Literary Bag Project, pupils take home, with certain regularity, books. A significant variation was the introduction of other publications of interest for the families, such as magazines and newspapers. We can analyze the insertion of printed materials on family universe, from the following perspectives: firstly, affective aspects of books; the contact with the literature is often enchanting, and provides unexpected experiences—experiences that legitimize literature's place in the community of readers.

The second perspective relates to the fact that reading with parents and relatives creates a foundation for a continuation of learning. Habitual reading can make us better people—more committed to the collective good and to our own personal development. The third aspect of family engagement with literature is that the regular presence of books and other written materials (newspapers, monthly publications, etc.) allow each family to build, from initial knowledge, more complex, consistent meanings on the social uses of reading.

Paulo Freire...