The Mother Tongue Library

BUILDING A COLLECTION OF RELEVANT, HIGH-QUALITY LITERATURE THAT SPEAKS TO TEEN PARENTS’ EXPERIENCES & ENCOURAGES FURTHER READING

We cannot reasonably expect students with low-level literacy skills to seek out literature with no apparent link to their lives; reluctant readers won’t read stuff they aren’t interested in. Critical to encouraging teen parents to become readers is providing them with quality, engaging literature that speaks to their personal journeys and offers a window into others’ experiences with teen pregnancy and parenthood.

Experience is said to be the best teacher. A student who experiences the richness of a book that speaks to her life is more likely to seek out another book. A student who experiences the power of an essay that addresses something she cares about is more likely to read another essay. 

Currently, Santa Fe junior high, high school, and public libraries do not have large, diverse, or high-quality collections of works that address teen pregnancy and parenthood. This is a hole the Mother Tongue Project aims to fill through the Mother Tongue Library, a collection of relevant reading options made available to all teen parents. 

The Mother Tongue Library continues to be developed through careful selection and in consultation with teachers, librarians, and teen parents. Books will be catalogued through participating schools' library systems and shelved in a location that is easily accessible to teen parents.