How Reading Often Begins at Centenary Long Before the Syllabus

March14, 2026

Centenary is a college that takes pride in small classrooms, dialogue-driven learning, and a commitment to the liberal arts. However, for many students, it is likely that the habits that have allowed them to succeed in such an environment have not started with a syllabus or a table in a seminar room. These habits started in a much earlier setting, perhaps in a nonacademic way, where reading had a sense of being personal rather than academic.

Well, for me, being literate did not start in an academic way. Being literate started with proximity.

I was eight years old and more concerned with recess time and afternoon snacks than with reading in general. But I had a best friend named Avery, and she loved books. She read them in class during lunchtimes, during naps, and during any moments when words were accessible. I enjoyed books, but I did not grasp why she considered them so important.