It’s Not That They Can’t Read… – looking at imposter syndrome and reading identity

How many times have we heard a child say, “I’m not good at reading”?
Or watched one put a book back on the shelf, saying, “This is too hard for me,” even though we suspected that they could read it — if only they would give it a shot?

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what stops kids from fully stepping into their reader identity. About the stumbling blocks that are, indeed, man-made. It’s not always decoding or fluency or stamina. Sometimes, it’s internal.

After reading Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s powerful piece on intellectual self-doubt, I couldn’t stop seeing the connections. The very patterns she outlines in adults show up, in different ways, in our students’ reading lives. Because while every reader is on unique path of discovery and reading exploration, there are similarities in how they interact with books when they don’t feel like a reader, and those we can look more closely at.

We know that the act of reading is wrapped in emotions. That self-worth and social hierarchy placement can be closely linked to your perceived skills as a reader. That being a reader or not being a reader can be anchored in childhood as an adult identity-marker. And so it makes sense that our students want to shield themselves from perceived hardship or failure – don’t we all? And so we often see a form of “reading resistance,” which to some may come across as laziness or avoidance. But what if instead we viewed as a form of imposter syndrome? Then we can enter the conversation in a different way, while bringing the readers in our care along.

Here’s how these patterns might show up in our classrooms — and what we can do to help.

Support: Model messy reading. Think aloud when you mess up. Celebrate effort over perfection. Give them low-stakes spaces to take risks — silly poems, decoding games, or buddy reading with younger peers where they feel competent.

The Reading Perfectionist

Potential underlying imposter syndrome: “If I don’t get every word right, I’m a bad reader.”

Manifests as:

Whispering or mouthing words when reading aloud, avoiding risk of error.Fixating on misread words or “getting stuck” and refusing to continue.Asking repeatedly, “Is this right?” before turning the page or writing about a book.Getting upset during assessments even with high accuracy.

Support: Model messy reading. Think aloud when you mess up. Celebrate effort over perfection. Give them low-stakes spaces to take risks — silly poems, decoding games, or buddy reading with younger peers where they feel competent.

Further ideas:

“Mistake of the Day” Club: Make small decoding or comprehension missteps a shared, safe laugh — create a space where every reader can submit one and reflect.Sticky Notes of Bravery: Let kids mark pages with a note like “I wasn’t sure, but I tried.” Celebrate risk-taking during sharing.Co-created anchor charts: “What Good Readers Do When They’re Stuck” — keep it visual and student-owned.The Natural Genius Reader

Potential underlying imposter syndrome: “If this book is hard, it means I’m not a good reader after all.”

Manifests as:

Makes vague claims like “This book is boring” or “I already know what’s going to happen.”Rapid early reading growth, followed by a plateau and sudden disengagement.Avoids challenging books after one or a few “failures” (can’t pronounce, understand, or keep up).Prefers familiar series or picture books they can master easily.

Support: Teach struggle as normal. Share your own stories of books that stumped you. Use “just right struggle” texts and help them see confusion as part of deep reading. Introduce the idea that strong readers ask questions — and don’t always know the answers.

Further ideas:

“Struggle Stars” wall: Post quotes from students about books that challenged them. Normalize confusion as part of growth.Teach the “Reader’s Curve”: A simple visual model showing early success → plateau → productive struggle → breakthrough.Reading Journals with “Stuck Points”: Instead of summaries, have them record where they don’t understand — and celebrate re-reading or asking for help.The Solo Reader

Potential underlying imposter syndrome: “If I ask for help, it proves I can’t read.”

Manifests as:

May quietly resist support or conferencing.Hides books behind desks or reads in isolation.Avoids joining book clubs, doesn’t volunteer to partner read.Says “I’m fine” or “I like reading alone” but rarely talks about books.

Support: Normalize collaboration. Use pair shares, peer book recommendations, or “reading buddies” where asking questions is expected. Let them be the helper sometimes too — it builds trust. Shift the narrative: strong readers talk about books together.

Further Ideas:

Invisible Book Clubs: Let kids respond to the same book on post-its or Flip videos without needing to talk face-to-face at first.“Ask Me Later” buttons: Offer students a nonverbal way to defer help — gives autonomy without removing support.“One Book, Two Readers” challenge: Quiet students read the same book as a peer — then choose their own way to share (drawing, writing, or private discussion).The Super Reader

Potential underlying imposter syndrome: “I have to read more than everyone else to prove I’m a real reader.”

Manifests as:

May use reading to seek validation, not joy.Logs 30+ books per month, but gives vague or superficial summaries.Gets anxious when “behind” on reading goals.Chooses quantity over quality: “easy wins.”

Support: Slow them down. Invite reflection. Use journals, book talks, or drawing to process books in new ways. Help them find balance by honoring books that move them — not just books they finish.

Further Ideas:

“Read Slow” Challenges: Celebrate books that take a week or more to finish. Offer awards for “most thoughtful pause,” “best reread moment,” etc.“This Book Changed Me” board: Help them reflect on impact, not volume.Weekly Deep Dive: Once a week, they must pick just one book to discuss in detail — what moved them, surprised them, challenged them.The Expert Reader

Potential underlying imposter syndrome: “I need to understand everything before I can say I read it.”

Manifests as:

May demand “correct” interpretations from teachers.
Freezes up during book discussions, afraid of being wrong.Asks few questions, fearing they’ll reveal gaps in knowledge.Abandons texts quickly if meaning isn’t immediate.

Support: Emphasize curiosity over correctness. Use “I wonder…” prompts. Let them see you grappling with questions too. Build habits of metacognition — maybe through post-its, wondering journals, or group discussions where questions are more valued than answers.

Further Ideas:

“Wonder Logs”: Replace standard comprehension questions with “I wonder,” “I noticed,” “I’m confused by…” logs.“One Word Summaries”: Ask students to capture a whole chapter or character using one word — forces synthesis, not certainty.Un-Googleable Questions Wall: Collect and explore deep, complex questions that have no single right answer.Bonus Tip: Support All 5 with Metacognition Mini-lessons

Build in weekly reflection that honors emotional and identity aspects of reading, not just skills:

“What kind of reader were you this week?”“What made you feel confident — or not?”“What book surprised you?”“What was hard… and what did you do about it?”

So where do we go from here?

We remind ourselves and our kids: doubt is normal. Growth is messy. And identity — especially a reader identity — isn’t something we give them. It’s something they build, slowly, with support, belonging, and choice.

We can’t eliminate their reading struggles, but we can reframe them. We can help them see effort not as evidence they’re failing — but as proof they’re learning.

Like Anne-Laure writes, the most successful people (and readers!) aren’t those who never doubt themselves — but those who learn to keep going with the doubt.