Donalyn Miller Quotes

I realized that every lesson, conference, response, and assignment I taught must lead students away from me and toward their autonomy as literate people.

I try to teach my students that books are a mirror, reflecting their own lives, and a window, giving them a peek into someone else's.

Readers enjoy talking about books almost as much as they like reading.

Books are love letters (or apologies) passed between us, adding a layer of conversation beyond our spoken words.

Although I enjoy digging through the library to help students find books, my aim is to help them develop self-confidence in choosing books for themselves.

Students need to make their own choices about reading material and writing topics.

The purpose of schools should not be to prepare students for more school. We should be seeking to have fully engaged students now

Failure is not an option, so why talk about it?

A classroom atmosphere that promotes reading does not come from the furniture and its placement as much as it comes from the teacher's expectation that students will read.

If we value all readers, we must value all reading.

When we meet and I discover that we have read and loved the same books, we are instant friends.

Our children shouldn't have to wait for adulthood to become wild readers. For many, it will be too late.

If you don't read, I don't know how to communicate with you...I can never express who I am in my own words as powerfully as my books can.

Failing to graduate a populace that values reading has long-term consequences for everyone.

The purpose of school should not be to prepare students for more school. We should be seeking to have fully engaged students now.

The uninitiated might say that I am lost in my books, but I know I am more found than lost.