The Reader’s beliefs and values reflect and shape our behaviour, which in turn creates our culture. Our values sum up what we stand for and how we do things. This is a list, but what we actually do, and the way we do it, is the best way to see our values. We agree to practice what doesn’t come naturally.
WE READ TO LEAD
- Great literature is a key element of our DNA –we use it to develop imagination, deepen understanding and expand experience.
- Reading is also about the kind of attention and understanding we give to our actions, other people and the wider world.
- We use both kinds of reading and reflection to help us understand ourselves, the world and how we can best act in it.
It suggests to Connell that the same imagination
he uses as a reader is necessary to understand
real people also, and to be intimate with them.
Sally Rooney, Normal People
WE ARE KIND BUT BOLD
- By being kind but bold we inspire ourselves, and others, to do more than we might have thought possible.
- Kindness helps us care about how we treat each other, always aiming for encouragement, openness and trust.
- We are bold in saying what we mean as clearly as we can, to the person we need to say it to, ensuring they can hear.
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say
William Shakespeare, King Lear Act 5
WE MAKE OUR OWN PATTERN IN THE WORLD
- We don’t simply do as others do, we try to work out what is good, and right, and do that – we don’t want to end up with ‘patterns that other people have made’.
- We aim to make our own patterns, and value innovation, foresight and bold ideas in every part of the organisation.
- We want to understand each other’s thoughts and feelings, checking that we are on the right track – we don’t want to follow ‘the wrong god home’.
If you don’t know the kind of person I am
and I don’t know the kind of person you are
a pattern that others made may prevail in the world
and following the wrong god home
William E. Stafford, A Ritual to Read to Each Other
WE ARE OPEN TO NEW EXPERIENCES AND WE LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES
- We believe that life is about learning from experience, and we see mistakes as learning opportunities –though they hurt, we’re not afraid of owning them.
- We try to be creative in difficult situations – lively-minded and willing to learn.
- We receive and offer feedback freely, and trustingly, because it helps us learn.
Ever tried, ever failed. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Samuel Beckett, Worstward Ho
WE LOVE THE READER AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT
- If love seems a funny word in this context, we take responsibility will do instead.
- The Reader is its people – group members, volunteers and staff –everyone at The Reader is The Reader.
- We each take responsibility for making The Reader as good as it can be – we pick up the rubbish, speak up when we’ve made a mistake, notice and try to fix the glitches.
What we have loved, others will love,
and we will teach them how.
William Wordsworth, The Prelude