Wonderful ideas often take root on a whim. Teachers Under Cover is a perfect example. In the early 1990s, Liz Surbey was attending the State Reading Conference and happened upon Jack Humphrey’s workshop about a grant that would allow middle school teachers the opportunity to spend some quality time together while discussing adult books. Six teachers from Sycamore School in Kokomo accepted Liz’s invitation to take part in the reading group, and that was the beginning of Teachers Under Cover, a reading club that still continues today.   Three of the 25 people who have joined the group at various times are still reading with us. Currently, there are eight TUC members.

     We had a ball choosing our monthly selections with the grant money. You know how it is when women get the chance to spend someone else’s money, right?  After the two years of grant money ended, we found we enjoyed the group so much that we each contributed money to the project and continued shopping for great titles.   We also brought our books into our classssrooms so that students would notice that teachers really and truly do read for enjoyment.

     So how does our TUC club work?  Each month one member chooses a book which we all read, and she also picks the time and place to discuss it.  We usually meet at a restaurant after school, but sometimes we meet at her home.     

     Over the years we have broadened our reading horizons by exploring authors whom we would not have selected on our own.  We chose classics such as Rebecca, East of Eden, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Friendly Persuasion, and To Kill a Mockingbird.  We also chose best sellers such as Cold Mountain, Freedom Writers, and The Memory Keeper’s Daughter.  Some of our group’s favorites included Lonesome Dove, Pillars of the Earth, The Kite Runner, What I Know for Sure, and The Red Tent.  Of course, we picked losers too; have you ever heard of Terrible Kisses? 

     We’re really grateful that Liz walked into the workshop 18 years ago, and we’re especially grateful for the grant that gave us the opportunity to read more than 140 books and also enjoy social time with our peers.