Reading is my favorite hobby, bar none. If I had to list my top ten hobbies, reading would rank 1, 2 and 3. It is that far and above all other hobbies I have. Actually, it probably isn’t even accurate to call it a hobby. It is like food, air and water. Without reading I feel like life is incomplete.
One of the primary goals I had for my students as a teacher was to instill in them a love of reading. I read to them, I had books in my classroom, and I did whatever I could to encourage reading. I always had times of sustained silent reading, even if it wasn’t a part of the school curriculum. If a child loves reading and books, everything else will usually fall into place academically.
Because of my own love of reading and my passion for seeing children love books as well, Readicide caught my eye.
I’ve been reading the previews online and I’m very much looking forward to reading the entire book. Readicide is about how the love of reading is being destroyed in schools. Kelly Gallagher defines readicide as:
The systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools.
There are several practices that he delves into, but the one that stood out to me was this:
Valuing the development of test-takers over the development of life-long readers.
Caroline has gone through a few stages with reading. For a long time she wanted us to read to her all the time. Then she went through a stage where she wasn’t really interested. But she has once again discovered the joy of books and loves going to the library to get new ones. We just brought home a huge new pile and she’s constantly asking me or David to read her a few stories.
One of my policies as a mom has always been that if she asks me to read to her, I stop whatever I’m doing (if at all feasible) and read. If she demonstrates an interest in books, then I am there to encourage it. I love to watch her while David is reading to her and see the engagement and delight shining in her eyes. It is a truly beautiful and wonderful thing to behold.
One of the things that turns me off to formal schooling (public or private) is the ever-increasing emphasis on testing. And not just testing, but high-stakes testing so that first and second graders go to school riddled with stress because the build up and anticipation has been so incredible for the weeks beforehand. There is really something seriously wrong when little children are put through that kind of pressure.
But even more than that is the fact that (as Gallagher points out) books are being squeezed out of school because there isn’t time for them. Children can’t read books because so much time has to be devoted to test preparation.
One of the books we brought home from the library this week is Clifford’s Best Friend. In part of the book, Emily Elizabeth goes to school and then comes home to do her homework.
Caroline is fascinated by the illustration of Emily Elizabeth sitting at her desk in front of her computer doing her homework. Caroline asked what she was doing and I tried to explain the concept of homework to her.
Part of me wanted to say, “Emily Elizabeth has just spent seven hours at school, a significant portion of which was downtime in which she was not engaged and no learning took place. And now she has to come home and spend another hour or two in the evening doing homework.”
Ok, so that is a little cynical. I was far more diplomatic in explaining it to Caroline. But seriously. If Emily Elizabeth doesn’t get to read at school and she spends an hour or two on homework… when is she going to have time to read a book? Why would she even want to do so?
I realize some children still become readers, but I suspect that it is in spite of their education rather than because of it.
Anyway, I think it should be an interesting book and I’m looking forward to taking a better look at it.
I agree! I left a job in the public schools last year. Students and teachers are both miserable and unfulfilled with the demand to “teach to pass the test”.
All of my kids love to read. I think, more important than schooling, kids will learn to love books if they see their parents constantly reading. I’m like you; reading a book is as important as breathing to me!
I read to my kids a lot when we homeschooled, but I found our Sonlight (literature-based) curriculum to be time-intensive and exhausting, especially when I was homeschooling more than one. (I was also under a lot of personal stress for various reasons. 😕 )
When we put our oldest in school for the first time (3rd grade), he started checking out books at the school library on his own. Their school had an Accelerated Reader (AR) program, and his reading really took off that year — he read every day after school, and even now, at age 14, he has stacks of books he enjoys.
I hope the author of that book makes the point that even if parents aren’t able to school their children at home, they can still learn to love reading if they see it as a way of life from parents and teachers!
Heather – From the parts I’ve read, the author definitely sees himself as an advocate/model for students. He is a high school teacher and sees the sad trend of students going from being excited about reading in kindergarten to a disinterest or almost disdain for it by the time he gets them. He believes there are a number of reasons for it which he elaborates on in the book.
I agree that parent modeling is supremely important. I’ve hardly been able to pick up a book the past year because of health issues so that has been frustrating for me both personally and as a mom who wants to model reading for her child. But I’m finally getting back in the saddle a bit!
One other thought (and I found this here where you can read part of the book)… Gallagher mentioned a USA Today poll in which 27% of adults said they didn’t read a book in 2007. Not one single. solitary. book. That is a whole lot of non-modeling going on. Granted some of those people don’t have children in the home. But I bet they watched plenty of TV and mainstream media.
One of the things I mourned… MOURNED… about this past school year as my firstborn did first grade in a classical, Christian school was that we had very little time for me to read to him. He was reading to me every day for homework but oh how we both missed the hours that we used to spend lying on the couch together devouring Charlotte’s Web, the Little House Books, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and more. I’ve made it a priority to read, read, read this summer, but as we approach the school year starting afresh in August, with another year planned for him to be “in school” I’m already growing sad…
Yes, I agree… readicide. Tragic. God help me prevent it in my own children.
I hope you do a review on this one when you are done.
Sounds VERY interesting.
Oh, and thanks for the review of the book “Introverts and the Church.” My husband just finished it, and I’m a few chapters in. LOVE it.
One of the main reasons we are homeschooling is that I want to instill a love of learning into my children, not what they do in schools today. We are using Sonlight curriculum just for the reason that they have wonderful books!
You know what can kill a love of reading? Mandatory reading logs. Ick.
Also, reading contests for pizza coupons and hokey stuff like that.
My pet peave…..
We just don’t talk about this in our house anymore as I get so upset. Two friends that are teachers think it is crazy that I love to read ,they haven’t read a book ( except to children ) since they left college.. um about 20 years ago. With all the homework my kids had , theynever had time to read .My 12 year old is at least two years behind with all the help possible ,and she dislikes it . My 14 year old is a fairly good reader but doesn’t seem to have any real interrest. I come from a family who has whole libraries in our homes , or brings the whole library home !!!! I believe that trait has been sucessfully been stamped out …….
Schools here do the AR reading program, where kids get points for reading and passing a short 5 point quiz on the book. Children are also restricted to what’s on their list of books, as those are the only ones that have the tests in the system. Found my step daughter did not want to read anything unless she knew it was on the list and she could get credit. Plus they also give out coupons to pizza hut for free pizza for accumulating a certain number of points! Ugh.
I do have children in the public schools, and one of the things that drives me nuts is Accelerated Reader testing. The school and PTA emphasizes this program. My 9 yo despises it, but my 7 yo is motivated by it. I have never forced my children to take the tests, and I certainly do not help my children seek out AR specific books. My oldest loves nonfiction, and historically, the AR system used at our school does not include much nonfiction for scoring. This is problematic. And then, my 7 yo reads at least at a 6th grade level (or so says the school numbers) and has maxed out all of the lower level assessments used at their school. (His kindergarten teacher would not give him differentiated work and would not recommend him for consideration by the principal for such because “his social maturity”, by her observations, was perfectly matched for kindergarten. (But I digress. . .)
AR. My 7 yo independently read the Little House books this past year in the 1st grade and took AR tests for these. He was quite motivated. But it was a little disconcerting to see him reading EZ Read “twaddle” books for points too.
My 9 yo’s teacher had a 20 minute silent reading period during which she gave kids the option to take AR tests on the computer. I was relieved when my 9 yo said he preferred reading than waiting for his turn at the computer for an AR test.
Sally, nothing beats the morning I went into my 9 yo’s classroom to help him organize his desk (the teacher was not holding the students accountable, and his desk was so jam-packed, he couldn’t necessary things in his desk). . . I cleaned out the desk and discovered A Little Golden Look Book from his teacher’s reading material shelves. (She previously taught 1st grade and did not have 3rd grade materials.) This might not have been so bad IF my child had not tested Very Strong Needs Academically Gifted student. (His home school cannot serve him anymore, and next year, he will be attending an inner city middle school that houses the county’s 4th and 5th grade Very Strong Needs Academically Gifted students. Ugh, imagine 120 AG students placed in an inner city middle school. . . If I didn’t have three very small children at home, I definitely would be homeschooling. I’m very frustrated.)
Anyway, we try to nourish the readers in them here at home. We read aloud nightly with each other. (Currently The Swiss Family Robinson. The smaller kids get other stories.) And there’s an hour long quiet time for anybody in the house after lunch. Naps for little people, and big kids get to rest and read whatever they want.
Good post Sallie. The disinterest in reading has gradually crept into our society. I remember growing up that just about everyone in my life read; parents, teachers, friends, neighbors, etc. I truly believe that reading played a role in molding me into who I am. As I became an adult and continued to read, I noticed that many of my friends who were starting their families rarely read to their children. It was always the same excuse – busy. Between both parents working, day care, after school activities, etc. they were so worn out at the end of the day that they didn’t want to read to their children, let alone make time to read themselves. I have to say – sadly – this was true of friends who home schooled also.
One observation on the backside of life – those same children are not readers as adults. Well, maybe a few, I’m talking single digits. I have several friends and family members who are about 1/2 a generation behind me, which is the start of the era when the majority of households had 2 working parents. They did not read then, and they do not read now.
It saddens me when I suggest a good book to someone and they say “oh, I don’t like to read” or the ever popular – “I don’t have time to read”.
Lastly – reading transports us, educates us and broadens our world. I can’t tell you how often I’m in the middle of a conversation and I have someone say “how did you know that?” and I tell them about a book I read about the subject – or even about history and the amazing knowledge that one obtains about their country, faith, or world events.
Like Sallie, I’ve had health issues which kept me bed ridden for a long period of time. Fortunately, I was able to read during this period. I read some amazing books during that time. They took me out of the world of pain, suffering and constant medical appointments into a world of amazing events (one of the books I read was the John Adams book by David McCullough) and amazing lives.
Without the joy of reading I know my life would be very, very boring. As Sallie said, reading is as important to me as breathing. It is food to my soul, and gives me a greater understanding of the world.