The Broken Copier Two Teachers Talking About Reading
Jan 17, 2026
Adrian Neibauer, a passionate teacher and writer, shares insights on reading instruction and dyslexia. He reflects on his journey from being a non-reader to discovering the joy of reading through relationships. The conversation delves into creating a culture of reading in classrooms, advocating for a communal approach rather than isolating skills. They discuss the importance of normalizing reading challenges for students and emphasize teachers' roles in modeling a love for reading. Adrian also highlights the need for better curriculum alignment and fostering magical reading experiences.
01:03:16
Late Conversion Into Reading
- Adrian describes being a non-reader until his mid-teens and only discovering reading through relationships in his twenties.
- His father-in-law's recommendations and conversations felt like an initiation into a literate community.
Reading Is Communal Not Solo
- Adrian argues literacy is communal, not purely solitary, and recommendations from people beat algorithmic suggestions.
- He frames reading as a form of conversation with authors and with fellow readers.
Reading As A Rite Of Passage
- Adrian uses the word 'sanctity' to describe his initiation into literacy as a rite of passage and almost a conversion.
- He felt reading became hallowed through shared recommendation and ritual with his father-in-law.
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Intro
00:00 • 1min
SLIME method and letting go in 2026
01:05 • 3min
Adrian's origin as a non‑reader
04:23 • 2min
Reading as communal, not solitary
06:51 • 4min
Why 'sanctity' describes reading
10:24 • 3min
Recreating literary 'holiness' in classrooms
12:58 • 3min
Class rituals that make reading memorable
15:37 • 2min
Dyslexia, vulnerability, and normalizing struggle
17:26 • 4min
Local effects of the Science of Reading push
20:58 • 2min
Risk of isolating reading into skills
23:12 • 2min
Tests versus cultivating readers
25:19 • 2min
Selling reading as holistic and magical
27:31 • 4min
Adults' role: model reading identity
31:34 • 2min
Practical obstacles: autonomy and curriculum limits
33:55 • 5min
What will students remember from class?
39:12 • 4min
Why students aren't reading more
43:38 • 5min
Building stamina and digital annotation limits
48:17 • 4min
Need for vertical alignment K–12
52:04 • 2min
Hope: teachers, homeschoolers, and slow reads
54:26 • 6min
Outro
01:00:09 • 3min
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The conversation about reading across education has taken a front-and-center position in many places, so it felt like the right time to have a conversation about it—especially since Adrian Neibauer recently wrote a thoughtful reflection on the topic called “The Sanctity of Literacy.”
In this conversation, Marcus and Adrian talk about their experiences as teachers of reading in their respective classrooms; about the broader conversation over the Science of Reading and its current impact on education; and about how we can create space to help students foster a more-sustainable love of reading in our classrooms going forward.
Some resources mentioned at the beginning of the conversation:
* Adrian’s piece on “The SLIME Method”
* John Spencer’s website/resources
Thanks, as always, to Alberto Lugo, one of Jim’s former students, for writing and recording original intro music; and Tom Csatari for allowing us to use his band’s recording of “Woodstock” from their 2020 album, Garden.
* Find Tom’s work at uncivilizedtom.com, and on Instagram @banduncivilized.
* Find Alberto’s work at djsynchro.weebly.com, and on Instagram @djsynchro.
You can email us here with feedback or any other questions as well: thebrokencopier@substack.com.
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