8 Ways to Read in Class (Without Getting Caught)

I’m on my second full week of school, so I figured it was only fitting to have this post. Not that your teachers would appreciate it… But these methods don’t just apply to hiding your reading from teachers. You can also use these methods to hide your reading from bullies… not that reading is something to be ashamed of…

1. Hide the book under your desk

Okay, so in my school, all the “real” desks (aka the ones that don’t have an one arm armrest) have this space under right under the desk (literally, it makes the desk seem shorter because you’ll keep bumping your knees into it) for you to put stuff in. Stuff like pencil cases and notebooks. Stuff like textbooks… so stick a book in it and it won’t look weird. Do the “thinker’s pose” and peak at the book every once in a while.

2. Hide the book under papers or books

This one is kind of like the last one except this time it’s on your desk and hidden under papers and textbooks. Take peaks when appropriate. So basically, use whatever you can, a backpack, a notebook, random pieces of paper, a pencil pouch, whatever, to block the book and keep it out of view as much as possible.

3. If reading from an e-reader, keep it on one side of your binder and pretend to take notes on the other side

Take you binder, place it on you legs so that the spine of the binder faces the desk and lean the binder against said desk. Place your e-reader on one side, and pretend to take notes on the other side. The side depends on which hand you use to take notes or else the teacher’s going to think you’re ambidextrous for the rest of the year.

4. Pretend to use the book to take notes

Place the book face down on a desk (or do something else that hides the cover) and have a piece of paper next to it. Every few minutes scribble random stuff on the paper and pretend that you’re actually taking important notes. (If it’s a book you’re reviewing, you don’t have to pretend, just take notes).

5. If anyone asks it’s required reading

This one kind of only applies in classes where your teacher will give you time to read books. Usually they mean required reading or reading for research. But they don’t have to know you’re researching the next chapter in the story of Hazel and Augustus, or Tris and Four, and you get my point. What they don’t know won’t hurt them.

6. Leave the book open in the corner of your desk

Be a rebel and don’t try too hard to hide the fact you’re reading in class. Okay, try to be discrete but generally teachers are looking for the outrageous ways people are misbehaving. And also, usually they are more focused on catching people using their phones, than people reading their books. Someone peaking at a book that’s sitting int he corner of your desk isn’t something teachers will be looking for (hopefully).

7. Make a fake cover

Make it to fake it. Make a fake cover to hide the real one. Next time someone catches you reading, they’ll think you have been reading The Scarlet Letter or The Great Gatsby. They won’t know that you’re reading Percy Jackson or Harry Potter unless you tell them. (Or unless you do a really bad job of making the fake cover. Hint, it works better on a paperback…)

8. Make photocopies

This a last resort opinion for a lot of reasons. Not only does making photocopies waste paper and ink, it can also be time consuming. But once you have the book on an 8×11 size paper, you can just pretend you’re reading notes (or an excerpt from a textbook) and not reading for leisure.

Guys, I think it is important to point that none of these methods are tested and fool proof. That being said, I personally don’t endorse reading in class, I just created this list for fun. Reading class won’t help you learn and can get distracting… I would know. But if the class is really boring and you already know the stuff…

Do you have any other methods on how to read without getting caught?

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