I recently read a great article, Can Reading Be Saved? by Kelly Gallagher. http://www.edweek.org/tsb/articles/2011/04/04/02gallagher.h04.html
In his article, Mr. Gallagher discusses the change in reading behavior in adolescents over the past decade and how students are reading a lot less. He mentions several factors that contribute to what he considers to be a decline in reading for enjoyment. One is the fact that kids have very little time for enjoyment reading in school or at home. Computers, video games, social networking, cell phones, texting and organized activities all seem to take precedence over picking up a book and reading for enjoyment. And he argues that, “the widespread lack of interest in reading among adolescents can be traced in part to “inane, mind-numbing” instructional practices found in today’s schools.” He is a teacher and points out that it’s not the teachers’ fault but rather he points to the standardized testing that is required in schools, the demand on teachers to cover huge amounts of material in short amounts of time, and suggests that teachers “do less and do better”. I believe we do need to do less and do better (see my blog post, A Mile Deep). I was recently asked, “What’s the biggest challenge in teaching?” My response: time. There’s not enough time to do everything you have to do, never mind what you want to do. Along with doing less, he also stresses immersing your students in good literature. I think this is probably easier to do in the younger grades. In my classrooms I always had a large assortment of books and magazines at a variety of reading levels. There was always 10 minutes after lunch/recess of quiet reading time, a great way to quiet them down after running around. And at the end of most days we cleaned and packed up with 10 – 15 minutes to spare. In those last few minutes of the day, we all sat on the carpet while I read aloud. My third graders heard great stories such as The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, The Trumpeter of the Swans, and Holes. These books were above reading level for many of my students, but were great as read alouds.
Mr. Gallagher suggests that as teachers we are “going to have to consciously not teach all the standards that your school system wants you to. But in this case, what your school system wants you to do is not in the best interest of the kids. What good does it do if a kid gets a good grade, or gets a good test score, but at the end of the year can’t really read deeply or can’t really write with deep thought?” To that I would say, a lofty goal but unfortunately most teachers would never have the luxury of not meeting all the standards or not preparing students for the tests they need to take. However as teachers, I strongly believe it’s our job to do what we can to help students find and keep the love of reading for enjoyment.