How to Bring Reading Back to School Students
When I think about what brings me joy as an adult and what comforts me when I need soothed, the answer is easy - my family, my cats, and my books.
As a young person, I turned to books for many reasons - to escape the world around me, to seek answers for questions I could never ask anyone, to find friends when I needed someone, and for comfort when I had something upsetting me.
How did kids today handle those situations? I guess a simple answer is in a connected world - you tube, social media, online groups…
But what about books? Has their time passed? Are they not still worthy to do the job?
BLASPHEMY!!! Of course they are still relevant, and of course they still do the job. But the readers aren’t there as much anymore. They have been lured away by Tik Tok, the latest killing video game, and you tube. How can books compete with those?
It’s all about the approach and the modeling.
Positivity breeds positivity. If I demonstrate a positive attitude about reading, then those around me will feel that positivity and also see books in a positive light. Do parents demonstrate reading to their children? I know many parents who say they read to their child. Awesome! That is fantastic! Please keep doing that! And don’t stop when they learn to read themselves. Keep doing it. Move into more advanced books with them. Share those experiences! Share those books and stories - make that a daily positive reading experience that you share!
Modeling is the key to so many things. The Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have done unto you. If you expect your child to read independently, then he or she should see you read independently too. I know we all have busy lives. I do too! But if this is a priority - and please make it one - then you need to read too.
And I don’t believe this is only a parent’s job. This is grandma’s and grandpa’s, aunts, uncles, big brother. And big sister….
And it is the school’s job too! Shouldn’t school be promoting the love of reading? Many claim to, and I do believe they try hard to, but somewhere the system is failing. I could give all the reasons like the emphasis on standardized testing, the replacement of school libraries with media centers or coffee shops, the competition of social media and fighting a battle that might be a losing one if the first two explanations pervade the school already…and if the school is in an economically disadvantaged area where tests scores are a problem currently, the battle seems to have already lost.
But I want to focus on the positive. There are ways to promote the love of reading and get kids reading in schools!!!
Build a school wide community of readers. Have all of the teachers reading something and talking with students about what they are reading. Be a role model for the students to show them how wonderful reading is and why it has helped each and every one of them to be successful.
Set up a time for the entire school to read silently. The teachers, administration, custodians, cafeteria staff, secretary, etc. - all should read too.
Have a school library, staff it with an actual trained librarian, and actually fill it with books that are current. If there is nowhere to get books and no one to recommend books that the student may like, then they won’t take any out and never have the opportunity to read something they may like.
Provide for and allow choice. Students need to find joy in what they read. They need to read about subjects that interest them and answer their questions. They need to find themselves in between those covers - so that means to allow for diversity already! - and find comfort in the stories of people like they are.
Teach reading skills using engaging materials. Readers cannot enjoy reading if they feel frustrated and lost every time they engage with a text.
Reading teachers need to be readers themselves and should be able to talk with students about books. They should want to share what they read and the magic they feel when they read! If teachers cannot demonstrate that positive attitude about reading, then they should NOT be a reading teacher.
Reward readers in some way. Maybe it’s by how many books they read, maybe form teams of readers to challenge each other, but find some way to show that reading more is valuable, as valuable as a winning score on a Friday night football game. If we don’t show readers that what they do is important, then why should they do it! Celebrate those readers!
I hope these suggestions can help to bring reading back to young people as not only a tool to learn from but also a tome that can bring them happiness, comfort, and entertainment.