By Christy Kanaby
When it comes to football, Malcolm Mitchell knows a thing or two about excelling. A high school and college standout before becoming an instrumental force in the New England Patriot’s 2017 Super Bowl win, Mitchell excelled in every challenge he met. Yet, if you ask him, he’d say his greatest victory was achieved off the field. Using the same grit and determination to improve his reading skills that he showed on the gridiron for football, Mitchell paved the way for children across the country to learn how to be reading champions.
“I grew up in an under-resourced community, and I had the belief that if I become an athlete, it was all I need to do to have a productive life,” said Mitchell. “That perception is what many kids take on, and that’s not accurate. In actuality, if you give your brain the same attention you give your body, it will take you to similar places.”
Recognizing that books were an avenue to expand curiosity, creativity and learning, Mitchell founded his nonprofit organization, Share the Magic Foundation, and launched his “Read with Malcolm” initiative, which is committed to introducing book ownership to children in households where reading is not a priority. He also authored and published two children’s books. His first, The Magician’s Hat, tells the story of how a group of children discover books can make dreams come true through the pages, words and adventures that follow. Mitchell’s second book, My Very Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World, follows the tale of Henley, who discovers his love for reading once he finds he has the power to share his own story with others.
“I wasn’t the most ‘compliant’ student,” Mitchell joked. “I knew I needed to read to pass class, but it wasn’t enough to persuade me. Once I realized that reading has a direct correlation to what I was trying to accomplish in life—not just in the classroom—it became culturally relevant to achieve all my ambitions, including financial stability and confidence in myself. That’s when I attached to reading as something that would fuel me in the direction I wanted to go.”
Read Across-NJ partners with Share the Magic
To continue its 21-year mission to create a nation of diverse readers and inspire students like Mitchell, NJEA’s Read Across-NJ program partnered with Mitchell’s Share the Magic Foundation to host a variety of members-only opportunities throughout National Reading Month in March. Over 500 members registered for and received free copies of The Magician’s Hat, which was accompanied by a complete teacher’s guide and other resources to make the most of this special story.
“NJEA is proud to continue our long-standing tradition of supporting Read Across,” said NJEA President Marie Blistan. “It’s always one of our most popular member programs of the year, and I am so excited to join forces with Malcolm as we strive to instill a love of reading in our students, expand their literacy opportunities and show them that—when you work hard—anything is possible.”
NJEA hosts live event with Mitchell
On March 31, NJEA hosted a live, virtual event with Mitchell, where members had the opportunity to ask him questions. Throughout this hour-long event, members got a glimpse of what drives Mitchell to spread his joy of reading to children of all ages.
“I tell students who want to be athletes that, at some point, talent will not separate you from the pack,” said Mitchell. “Your ability to learn, retain and apply information is what will make you stand out. Once you get to the NFL, everyone is fast and does their job extremely well. But can you outthink them?”
Read Bowl motivates literacy champions
Mitchell invites all NJEA members to continue to help students find the literacy champions within and rise to the reading challenge through his year-round virtual reading events, which he kicked off in 2016. Read Bowl, which ran between the National College Football Championships and Super Bowl Sunday, set a foundation record of 55 million reading minutes from over 71,000 student participants. Three New Jersey educators, Erin Porter from Ocean City Primary School, Susan Murray and Karen Benchoff from Brigantine Elementary School, and Andrea Sarney from Roy W. Brown Middle School in Bergenfield, and their students emerged as finalists in the annual event.
Book your students for Read Camp
The next event is Read Camp, which kicks off Memorial Day and runs through Labor Day weekend. During this three-month program, students in grades K-12 participate in training, drills and practice to maintain their literacy skills over the summer. Mitchell acts as the program’s “head coach” and had over 7,500 children in 34 states participate last year. Educators or students who are interested should visit readwithmalcolm.com/readcamp to register.
“Being on this reading journey has taken me further around the world than football has, and I was able to experience it at its height,” Mitchell stated. “It’s my hope that all kids understand the importance of reading and have access to the tools they need to build upon that understanding.”
To view a recording of the March 31 live event, visit njea.org/ranj. To learn more about the Share the Magic Foundation or the other year-round virtual reading challenges Mitchell hosts, visit readwithmalcolm.com.
Christy Kanaby is an associate director in the NJEA Communications Division. She is also the coordinator of NJEA’s Read Across NJ. She can be reached at ckanaby@njea.org.