“Reading is Boring!”: Not at De La Salle Mangere

“The more you read, the more places you’ll go” is a Dr Seuss saying that Amanda Chapman calls out. It underpins a motto that has earmarked a program for a decade, at the well-known Lasallian college in south Auckland.

Walking down the school driveway, students, parents, teachers, and visitors are surrounded by mature healthy trees and plants; the greenness of the native garden and the gurgle of a stream with birdsong bring a feeling of peace and welcome.

In these surrounds, Amanda, born and educated locally, heads the Literacy Centre Team whose three members total 54 years of experience, serving the largely Pasifica student population. The team includes Angela Barry and Kristina Ah Ta.

An approach by Br Steve Hogan, a previous Principal at De La Salle, was taken up by Amanda, who had very solid teaching experience in state junior primary classes, as well as overseas teaching in England and USA. Kiwis, like Aussies, are drawn to the ‘overseas experience’ in their youth, Amanda says.

Why did she move to teacher-librarianship?

“When you are an experienced teacher, you understand the importance of reading and how it is essential to all learning. I am very passionate teaching boys to read, so that they can do well at not only school but in later in life.”

The false perception that boys do not like to read can be changed, Amanda maintains, if they are given the opportunity and resources to enjoy and succeed. The Literacy Centre is a bright and stimulating space, welcoming with plenty of students’ work and art. People who visit are struck by the library stock: there are over 8,000 titles of all descriptions. At present, the winner is “Percy Jackson & the Olympians”,  a series of fantasy novels written by American author Rick Riordan.   

The Millionaire’s Club Project

What developed a decade ago was the “Millionaire’s Club.” It was a neat title to attract young Pasifica boys, not necessarily attracted to books, at home or at school. Beginning with the current Youth Minister, Nico Lemano when he was in Year 8, it utilises the Lexile program which counts the words read. That year 2016 saw 3 “millionaires” motor through a million words in 3 terms; 2023 registered 47 millionaires, and many of those boys were multi-millionaires reading over 2 million words.

Teachers help and support students to choose a book at their reading level. This is assessed by standardised tests so that the student knows his level. The Literacy Centre collaborates with classroom teachers to run the Lexile Reading Program, which involves a post-reading online quiz.

the push for greater literacy via reading reflects the school’s philosophy, Amanda says. An outcome is that a new Library and Literacy Centre has emerged in recent years. And “especially when schools are closing libraries around the world as a way of saving money.”

De La Salle has differences that set it off from state schools: “the boys talk about brotherhood and a strong sense of belonging, (with)… combination of our uniform and wearing the cross, which is reinforced with weekly Mass, and school prayer and school song which are said daily.”

The Lasallian Teacher

Amanda’s vitality and vision is perhaps part of her broader experience of things Lasallian:

“I have had a very satisfying career teaching. De La Salle Mangere East has given me many wonderful opportunities, like travelling to other Lasallian schools. Balgo Hills in Australia, De La Salle Hong Kong, Green Hills and Zobel in the Philippines. These trips were service missions with students. It literally has been life-changing for our boys to experience other Lasallian worlds.”

All of which may embed one of the school’s mottoes:  ‘Boys Who Read Achieve”

Source: Br Gary Wilson