Teachers and readers: Community, Agency and Joy

This paper presents reflections on making space for story through sharing, connection and joy. Writing from their positions as K-12 English teachers and teacher educators, the authors celebrate their experiences in expanding the definition of “story” to be more inclusive, recognising reading as a diverse activity encompassing myriad text types and experiences.Through examination of their individual ways as readers and teachers of reading, the authors demonstrate approaches to embracing diverse forms of reading while helping students to articulate and claim their own reading identities. Through recognition and respect, the authors show how they celebrate and sustain all kinds of reading, working towards developing lifelong learners who engage critically, creatively and empathetically with the world and stories of others.