Pam Webb

The Need for Read

If you have yet to notice from my posts, I really, really like to read. Monthly I post my five star reads from the previous month as a means of sharing the wealth of books that are out there. You might be asking “Well, if you love reading so much how did two very important dates whiz by you without a mention?” You caught me out. National Read a Book Day is observed annually on September 6th and on August 9th readers celebrated National Book Lovers Day–yet I did not notice. I guess I was too busy reading.

My entry into the classroom was through the pathway of being a school librarian. I hadn’t intended on being an English teacher, yet when the head librarian retired the district decided they would not be filling that VIP (very important position) with a certified librarian, such as myself, and save a little money and instead have a classified staff member wing it. At this point in my narrative I must breathe deeply and chant, “Let it go. Let it go.”

So instead of running the school library and promoting books to high school students I found myself promoting books by teaching about them. I made it work. One course of action I followed for many years was to have my students read the first 10 minutes of class. Most were familiar with the SSR (silent sustained reading) from previous years, although many had decided books were not cool when they entered middle school and that attitude carried over into high school. Hah–don’t tell a librarian at heart reading is something not to be pursued. Reading is so very, very important I would inform my students. Here’s a few reasons why:

1. Reading Exercises the Brain
   Diana Anson, LCSW, a professor of psychology at the College of Southern Nevada has this to say: “Even problem-solving becomes easier as you develop the ability to see problems from different angles. … Reading is to the mind what the gym is to the body—only without the sweaty gym clothes.”
2. Reading Can Slow Down Brain Aging
   According to a 2021 study published in International Psychogeriatrics, researchers found that frequent “reading activities” were associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline in older adults.
3. Reading Is Stress Relieving
   Anson, the psychology professor, noted that a study done at the University of Sussex indicated that even six minutes of daily reading can reduce stress levels by 68%. “Other studies have shown that regular readers report better sleep, less stress, higher self-esteem and lower rates of depression than nonreaders,” she added.
4. Reading Boosts Vocabulary
   Researchers estimate that we learn 5% to 15% of all the words we know through reading, according to a Scholastic report.
5. Reading Can Promote Well Being
   According a Scholastic’s Kids & Family Reading Report 30% of infrequent readers reported feeling lonely compared with just 19% of frequent readers.
6. Reading Develops Empathy
   Keith Oatley, an author and professor emeritus of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto believes, “The more fiction…that people read, the better became their empathy and understanding of others.” This is because “With fiction, we step into someone else’s perspective. This helps us understand how and why people with personalities or values different from our own might act the way they do.”
7. Reading Initiates a Good Night’s Sleep
   Anson states that reading a good book right before bed can help initiate a good night’s sleep, provided it’s in paper form–no Kindles. “Turning off electronic screens and settling into a book before bedtime can improve sleep quality,” she says. “The soft glow of the bedside lamp replaces the harsh blue light of devices, signaling your brain that it’s time to wind down.”
8. Reading Can Boost a Workout
   Plugging into a good book, be it Kindle, paper, or audio can motivate a person to keep going. Inspirational music or a story can distract a person to push through. And not only at the gym–housework, homework, too.
9. Reading Promotes Community
   Scholastic’s research found that 92% of parents and their children who read together found it to be a special bonding time. Even if reading can be solitary, sharing what has been read with others brings people together for discussion.
10. Reading Helps Learning
    Before Google and Wikipedia provided all the answers people turned to books to learn knowledge. Reading, even if its Internet initiated, prompts the brain to absorb by stirring up brain cells. While nonfiction is learning facts, fiction can also prompt new ideas. Reading fiction helps a person experience new settings, new types of people, new situations which expands one’s perspective.
    
    Even though those two Celebrate Reading days passed me by (scampering over to my calendar to make notes for next year) I don’t feel too bad because I celebrate reading everyday.
    
    Hoping you find joy in reading a good book.
    
    Happy pages!