Literacy Champion Spotlight: Kristy McPherson-Leitz

KDL recently announced the recipients of the Literacy Champion Award, and Kristy Mcpherson-Leitz, a teacher at Kenowa Hills High School, was one of the winners. Her classroom library currently has over 1,800 books, and when she conducts one-on-one reading conferences with students at the end of the school year, many of them say that their reading skills and enjoyment of reading have grown because of the access to books, book talks and book recommendations they receive from her. Kristy also led the charge for hundreds of Kenowa Hills students to apply for and receive KDL Student Library Cards.

“My job as an English teacher is to help students comprehend what they read,” McPherson-Leitz said. “My passion, however, is to help students learn to love what they read and to choose to read, and that's what I strive for every day.”

Let's get to know Kristy a little bit more. 

Why is literacy so important? 
Literacy is a form of power, which is why subjugated people have been denied it throughout human history. People who are illiterate are easy to control because they can only access the information that's given to them. This prevents them from understanding other perspectives and thinking critically about the ideas presented by those in positions of authority. In that way, literacy helps us be free from oppression. 

What's your favorite library service or program and why?
As a kid, my favorite library service was just the access it gave me to books. I read voraciously, especially in middle and high school, and I went through my local library's entire young adult section. I placed so many book holds that the librarians had a separate box for me! Now, my favorite library feature would be library sales as I use them to stock my classroom library. Without the sales and their offerings of inexpensive books, I would not be able to provide my students with the plethora of books I currently have. It's honestly because of the KDL sales that my students and I have had so much success with independent reading in my classroom!

The library's mission is to further all people. How has the library furthered you? 
Reading has made me who I am, and I could not have read nearly as much as I have throughout my life without libraries. I am a more empathetic and educated human because of the access to books that libraries have given me. Since I volunteer with my local KDL branch, the library has also allowed me to give back to my community and to the library itself. 

How have books changed your life?
I have lived so many lives and learned so many things through reading. Books got me through the darkest times in my life, have made me laugh and cry, have challenged my thinking, and as I said previously, have made me a more empathetic and educated human. It was my love for reading and writing that encouraged me to be an English teacher, and it is my love for reading that motivates even my most reluctant students to try to find books they love too. I am successful as a teacher because I love books, and I share that passion with my students every day. 

Please share your favorite library memory.
As a teenager, I often spent time curled up in an armchair in the library's young adult section. I could sit and read for hours at a time, and the library gave me a peaceful place to do so. It was a sanctuary for me where I never felt judged or uncomfortable. I was and am quite introverted, so at school, I was the weird girl who never spoke and always had her nose in a book, but in the library, I belonged. So the days when I could look through the shelves before settling into the worn chairs were my favorite library moments.