We're all struggling readers until the right book comes along.

Raise your hand if you loved The Scarlett Letter when you were 15? What about Huckleberry Finn? Seriously?

I was the worst for not reading the assigned classics when I was in school. I knew that if I sat still and quiet that I would get all the answers I needed. Luckily, the classics that I loathed as a teenager didn't turn me off from reading altogether. There were plenty of interesting books at my house. I never lost touch with a love for the written word.

That's not the case for so many of our students. They don't have books at home to remind them that reading can be fun. They don't have parents that show them what readers look like. And if they're dependent on what we sometimes insist on teaching in English class, then they aren't becoming readers there, either.

Teachers can encourage healthy reading habits among teenagers by simply being readers themselves. Many times students just need a nudge in the right direction. Its so important that teachers keep up with current young adult literature--being able to recommend a good book is sometimes all a student needs. And once you've given them something good, they'll come back to you for something else.

We're all struggling readers until the right book comes along. We all struggle with something--no matter how brilliant we are. Giving kids high interest books and time to read them in class will lead to a lifelong reading habit. And lifelong readers make good parents to the next generation.