Engaging Literacy Conversations

Balancing Time and Presence When Supporting Readers

As literacy leaders, we often reflect on how our own experiences with reading and learning shape the ways we engage with students. Recently, a conversation with my son about a classic text reminded me of the delicate balance between guiding young readers to make progress and empowering them to make their own decisions.

I was surprised to see a copy of The Odyssey on the kitchen counter. 

My kids,15 and 17, had just gotten back from the local independent bookstore. My daughter (15) had been waiting for a book to come in, walked down to pick it up, and my son had joined her.

I asked him why he chose this classic poem by Homer. “Chronos is a character in my video game, and I think he is also in this book, so I wanted to read more about it." 

I had remembered that I had previously asked him about this video game. He explain­ed that Chronos had frozen the world. His objective was to defeat this Greek God. "Are you Kairos?" I asked my son. He looked away from the computer screen and at me with a confused face.

I explained that I was reading a social science book, Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock.¹ The author, Jenny Odell, references chronos and kairos multiple times, not as characters but as concepts. 

In Greek terminology, chronos is the personification of time, a constant march of forward progress. It’s looking at time through a quantitative lens. In Odell’s book, chronos is synonymous with productivity, measuring labor, and closely tied with capitalism at sometimes unhealthy levels - an antagonist, as somewhat similarly depicted in my son’s video game.

Conversely, Kairos represents the present moment, a time of opportunity and awareness. It is about hitting pause in time and being present, of making the most of our moments with rich, meaningful experiences. Kairos is qualitative, and maybe a protagonist in my son’s game.²

He explained that he hadn't seen Kairos yet, but he would be on the lookout.

I'm not sure if this previous conversation was highly influential in him buying The Odyssey today. But I know I couldn't have en­gaged in this relevant conversation with my son about his game without reading about the topic. (Having not read The Odyssey, I also cannot say if Kairos and Chronos make appearances in the text.)

What I do know is my next comment was not nearly as productive.

“Well, when you finish The Odyssey, I'll buy it back from you. I would like to read it, too."

He looked surprised, said that wasn't necessary, and went back to his game.

As parents and as educators, we know we only have so much time with our kids within the same four walls. Our opportunity for influence is a constantly closing door, which seems to speed up the closer we get to the eventual departure.

I wonder if that is why I offered to buy the book from him when he was done. Yes, as a surface-level reward (and a poor one, as I now regret), but also as an attempt to squeeze out as much productivity as possible. We are constantly aware of the 180 days or the 18 years we have with our kids. Being aware of our limited time - chronos - is not inherently bad, as long as it does not consume our thoughts and how we live.

As I reflect, when was I likely most influential with my son and his reading life? When I was just chatting with him about his video game, and bringing my own knowledge and interests to the conversation based on what I was reading.

Thankfully, I course-corrected with my son.

"You know what…on second thought, I think you should keep the book. It's a classic for a reason. If you don't mind, I'd like to borrow it when you are done."

"Cool!" he responded.

I'll take it. That's what was offered at the moment.

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Whether in our classrooms or at home, our moments of influence often come not from structured activities but from organic conversations that support engagement. Our role is to create spaces for these moments to flourish, allowing students to take ownership of their learning while we gently guide them along the way.

1. How can you create more opportunities for organic conversations that deepen engagement with your students and their reading lives?

2. What can you do to balance guiding your students with giving them the freedom to take ownership of their learning?³

Take care,

Matt

P.S. Last week, I shared that I will be offering a masterclass on how to prioritize what’s most important as literacy leaders. I am still working on it! Sign up for this newsleter today to receive this exclusive offer for subscribers.

1. I am affiliate with Bookshop.org. Purchases made through my links bring in a small commission to support this space. More importantly, Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores when you buy books through their website vs. Amazon. Check out “my bookstore” of favorite reads here.

2. I have started using the search engine Consensus to fact check some of the information included in my writing. It uses AI to find and generate responses from scientific studies and peer reviewed articles - a preferred altnerative to the clogged experience when using Google.

3. I am aware that some readers here like to share what I write with colleagues. Thank you! Sometimes they use these posts for article studies as part of their continuous improvement plan. With that, I will do my best to remember to include a link to the Google Doc version in future posts for printing and sharing.