Alvin Irby: How Can We Inspire Children To Be Lifelong Readers?

Part 3 of the TED Radio Hour episode School of Life

Even though kids learn to read in school, many hate it. Educator Alvin Irby shares insights on inspiring children—especially Black boys—to discover books they enjoy and begin identifying as readers.

About Alvin Irby

Alvin Irby is an educator, author, comedian, and the founder of Barbershop Books, a nonprofit organization that creates child-friendly reading spaces in barbershops and provides early literacy training to barbers.

Irby hosts cultural competency workshops as well as Diversity & Inclusion training for school districts, library systems, and education organizations. His programs help educators better understand and address the systemic and personal challenges that inhibit children's motivation to read and learn. Irby holds a Masters in Childhood Education from the Bank Street Graduate School of Education, a Masters in Public Administration from the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University, and a Bachelors in Sociology from Grinnell College. [Copyright 2020 NPR]