Emily Grogan Advises Students to Put Down the Screens and Pick Up a Book this Winter

Mrs. Grogan holds three books that she plans on reading this winter. Like many English teachers , Grogan is an avid reader and finds that the hobby of reading is the perfect balance between being intellectual and entertaining. “Every year, on the first day of the year, I make a new Google Doc, and I keep track of the books I read that way, so I can remember what I've read. Then I rank them one star, two stars, three stars,” Grogan said. “
When people ask me for recommendations, it's easy to go back and either share the doc with them or read off of it.” Photo Credit: Carrie Bradbury

Carrie Bradbury, Senior Editor and Review Desk Lead

Snow falling outside, wood burning in the fireplace, and a whole day off from school is only weeks away for Watauga County teachers and students. The winter season is infamous for its early sunsets and chilling temperatures, which impact even the most winter-loving people. Staying home for long periods of time in the winter can become boring and unpleasant unless it is filled with an activity that is both enjoyable and productive.

Watauga High School English teacher Emily Grogan advises that everyone pick up a book instead of their screens this winter season. Grogan believes that getting lost in a good book or challenging yourself with a high-level text is a great way to fill the time while sitting at home.

“In the winter last year, we got that bad ice storm, and we were stuck at home for so many days. And there's only so many puzzles and crafts you can do,” Grogan said. “When you read, it lets you experience another world in another place and get out of your own head and learn something new.”

Outside of entertainment, reading can be an escape when the real world feels too big or stressful. Grogan has found an escape in the hobby of reading and said that it is a great way to relieve stress.

“I think reading for me and maybe for a lot of students, too, is an escape from the real world,” Grogan said. “You can get into a book and get invested with those characters and that storyline, and it takes your mind off the stress of whatever you're going through.”

Technology has become an ever-present part of student life, as almost all high schoolers have a personal cell phone and are forced onto the computer during remote learning days. It can be hard to set down the phones and focus on a different source of entertainment.

Adults often criticize teenagers for their phone usage, but adults are just as susceptible to phone addictions. Grogan said that the issue of addictive technology is impacting us all, and she does not blame her students, for she too struggles to put the screens down.

“I mean, I'm guilty too. At the end of the day, wanting to sit down and watch Netflix. And it's easy to shut your mind off that way too,” Grogan said. “But I have always preferred reading. I get that for some people, TV and movies are an escape too.”

Controlling what students are doing during their time at home on remote learning days is nearly impossible for teachers when it is so easy to turn the camera off and stop paying attention. In spite of this, Grogan tries to use her time during in-person school to get students engaged with the stories and subjects that they are learning.

“I think that is hard for English teachers to combat, not as much with Netflix, but with TikTok, Instagram reels, the super short attention spans. After five pages of a book, the kids' eyes are kind of glazing over,” Gorgan said. “I think the main way to do that is to make reading seem exciting and get them engaged with the content. Do your fun activities before, really hype it up, I love to do a read aloud.”

Remote learning is inevitable, and it is up to teachers to decide how they want to handle it. Grogan recalled a time last year when her students did not have a tangible book and were instead reading short stories off of the computer. Grogan noticed not only a drop in class participation, but a greater disconnect between her students and what they were learning.

Learning from that experience, Grogan is prepared to make sure that all students are sent home with a book once the winter weather hits. 

“I think giving kids access to books, having classroom libraries, making sure they're going to the Media Center here, encouraging that reading will help,” Grogan said. “Kids often ask me, ‘How do you become a better writer?’ Well it is by reading more. The more you read, the better you'll write.”

Grogan is working with students from all different levels, who have varying futures in mind post-high school. She said that part of her job as an English teacher is ensuring that every student who passes through her classroom gains a strengthened confidence in their literacy skills, even if they do not plan to go to a post-secondary school.

“I think literacy is so huge. I have a lot of kids that do not want to go to a secondary institution, but those literacy skills are still so important in their everyday lives,” Grogan said. “They are going to be consumers of the media, whether it's the news, the radio, TV and ads are going to be targeted toward them. That is why rhetoric is so important and learning how to evaluate your sources.”

English II, one of Grogan’s specialties, teaches students about world cultures and challenges them with stories about young women living in Afghanistan and college-age men fighting in World War ll, as only a couple of examples. 

“I think reading about people that are different from you also gives you a lot of perspective. ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ and ‘Sold’ open your eyes to what people in other parts of the world are going through as well,” Grogan said. “If you only read about people that look like you, think like you and believe like you, that's boring. You want your perspectives to be challenged and to learn new things.”

Every semester must end with a test to see how much a student has learned, but Grogan finds these tests to be of a minor importance compared to the social and emotional lessons that students learn in English class. The job of any teacher is to prepare their students for tests, but to also teach them about the world that students are about to step into.

“We have the EOCs at the end of the year. That is testing whether kids can identify quotes to backup claims, or can identify the theme of a text. That is well and good, but that is not what I see as my job as an English teacher,” Grogan said. “It is how to read and evaluate sources critically, how to learn about diverse perspectives, become a better person overall and a functioning member of society.”