Every month after school, staff members gather in the library clutching their well-worn copies of the month’s selection. Quiet discussion fills the room, officially signaling the start of the monthly staff book club meeting.
“During the book club meeting we talk about the book itself, the things that we liked about it, the things we are confused about, the author’s intentions,” English teacher Katherine Allen said. “It’s more of a group discussion than anything.”
The staff book club was created by librarian Chelsea Hamilton when she noticed the countless staff members who enjoyed reading as much as her.
“I’ve had several staff members ask if we had [a book club] and I’ve had a lot of conversations with other teachers over the last couple of years who we all just enjoy sitting down and talking about books,” Hamilton said. “Finally, I decided to create a staff book club where everyone could sit and talk about these books. It’s just a good kind of gathering of bookish people.”
It’s just a good kind of gathering of bookish people
— librarian Chelsea Hamilton
From the favorite elements of the book to the evident critiques, the staff book club aims to discuss all aspects of the chosen selection.
“It’s a lot of chatting,” Hamilton said. “It’s a very unstructured gathering where we sit and talk about the stuff we liked and didn’t like and the ridiculous things. We get off on tangents and we chat about random things but we usually bring it back just fine.”
In contrast to student book clubs that are restricted to books that meet FISD book guidelines, staff book clubs have the flexibility to choose their book selections.
“We have a broader range of books we can select,” Hamilton said. “We don’t have to stay within the parameters within what is a FISD approved book. We can pick whatever book we want whether they were written 50-60 years ago or yesterday.”
Since the staff members read a new selection every month, they are encouraged to choose books that lie beyond their usual preferences.
“I love reading and I read a lot of books throughout the year so it just gives me another type of book to read and it gives a place where I can talk to other teachers about what we read,” AP World History teacher Ashley Mayfield said. “Some of them aren’t books I would necessarily choose, so they pushed me out of my comfort zone in terms of what books I’m reading.”
[The staff book club] gives me another type of book to read and it gives a place where I can talk to other teachers about what we read
— AP World History teacher Ashley Mayfield
For Allen, the opportunity to meet other like minded staff members enticed her to join the staff book club.
“The book club is beneficial because we are able to get together with people from other departments and learn more about each other and get different perspectives,” Allen said. “This gives us an idea of what other people are up to and we get to at least see each other once a month.”
Hamilton believes that the book club is beneficial as it provides staff members with additional opportunities to read.
“I think it’s a way for people to read books theatrically by themselves, kind of bringing out of your comfort zone on what you typically read,” Hamilton said. “It’s just relaxing and fun to sit and talk about things you’ve read and why you like them.”
