After school, many kids from the local elementary and middle schools come into the library to work on their homework or participate in local library activities. The librarian, Mx. Alley had been noticing that one of the 6th graders, Aidan, seemed unable to get through much of their school book. 

Aidan is one of the students who often stays late, often reading the same book until the library closes. Aidan is one of the few students who strictly works and works, not pausing to take a break or change tasks. 

Today, Mx. Alley noticed that Aidan seemed more down than usual. His serious study face had changed into one on the verge of tears and radiated anger. The librarian walked over to Aidan and asked if they could join him at his table. Once Aidan said yes, Mx. Alley asked him some asked in-direct questions about his book and how he was enjoying it. The librarian did not want to make assumptions about where Aidan was at in their learning process, and wanted to hear from him how and what he was feeling.

Aidan explained that he was having the most trouble in his English class. He said his class is working on classic literature and currently reading Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. Aidan closes his eyes and begins to ball his hands into fists. He says that he is just not able to comprehend any of it, no matter how hard he tries. 

He says his mind often wanders and will have to re-read paragraphs because he is not interested in these types of stories. Aidan goes on to say he is frustrated and feels alone in his struggles with this type of reading. Specifically, he notices that his other classmates are blazing past him and acting as if it's the easiest thing to do. He lets out a heavy sign and shakes the book in front of him, slamming it down onto the table. 

Mx. Alley says that they understand where Aidan is coming from and that they too had difficulty with school readings. The librarian explained how during their education, they found it hard to focus and often had to put more effort into homework than their other classmates. Mx. Alley explained how this can be frustrating and is not a reflection of our worth, rather it shows that we may need to try out different learning methods!

Aidan's ears perked up and they asked what the librarian meant by “other” learning methods. He exclaimed that he had been trying to read the way his classmates and teacher do. Mx. Alley began explaining how sometimes we can learn and understand reading better by interacting with the book in a more direct way. The librarian continued on by saying one way to connect with the book is by using the prompt or reading questions ahead of time, going over the questions so they are fresh in our mind when reading each chapter. This can help create an intentional way to engage and learn their school reading material.

Aidan smiled a bit and said that could be motivating! He smiled wider and said it’s like finding Where’s Waldo but for borning books. The librarian chuckled and said yes, that's one way to look at it! Aidan asked if there were any other suggestions, and the librarian said so many! Mx. Alley said that one of their favorite ways was trying to read books in audio format. Aidan's eyes widened and the librarian continued to explain how we can either find the audiobooks for these books, either listening or reading along to the narrator. Mx. Alley also mentioned that if there are no audiobooks available for their text, they can always use text-to-audio on the laptop or their phone. The librarian brought out their phone to show Aidan an example, adjusting the speedplay back and so much more! Aidan giggled and said that the playback speed of 2x tickled his ears and also was completely understandable! He said that the fastness of them talking helped his brain keep up!