Dixon teacher combines books, basketball in special March Madness tradition at Jefferson Elementary

Combining her passion for teaching and basketball, a third grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary in Dixon started her own March Madness tradition centered around picture books.

Like the official NCAA tournament, teacher Britney Pitzer’s March Madness is a single-elimination tournament that crowns one winner at the end of the month. In her version, the game begins with 16 picture books known as the “Sweet 16.”

Each day, Pitzer will read the two books facing off in the bracket, and students will vote to pick their favorite, she said.

“The kids really look forward to this tradition,” Jefferson Assistant Principal Kelli Full said.

“We have volunteers come in to read, too,” like parents and community members, Pitzer said, adding that it makes it fun for the kids to switch it up.

Pitzer played basketball at the collegiate level while attending Benedictine University in Lisle.

“Basketball has always been a big part of my life, and starting this tradition has been a really fun way to share my love of the sport,” she said.

“It really gets the kids excited for reading,” Pitzer said.

She started the tradition three years ago during her first year teaching, and it was a hit. After that, other nearby districts started their own versions of the game, and it grew at Jefferson to include second and third graders competing against each other.

She turns it into a big celebration decked out with a disco ball, music and a Chicago Bulls theme, Pitzer said. “It’s so much fun for the kids.”

The first 16 are narrowed down to the “Elite Eight,” the “Final Four,” “Top Two,” and, finally, the “Champion.”

Pitzer said she tries to choose a variety of books – some more serious and some funny – while bringing back some class favorites from past years.

The 2024-25 tournament finished March 21, dubbing “The Book with No Pictures” by B.J. Novak as the champion for the second year in a row.

Pitzer said that the book “is probably my favorite. It’s hard to read because some of the words are so crazy, but the kids love it.”

The first page of the book lays out one ground rule: that the person reading has to say everything on the page. It goes on to be filled with funny words, like “blork” and “bluurf,” that get progressively more and more comical as the story goes on.