National Read Week (and then some)
Last week saw National Read Week in the news. Our local library held an event on Monday, partnering seventh graders with kindergartners as reader buddies. I love it. Yet, why just one week out of the year to emphasize reading?
I came to teaching English by way of being a librarian and so books, especially reading, was part of my curriculum. Many of my sophomores were grumbly about having to read 10 minutes at the beginning of class (which developed into a quarterly PowerPoint book report). Funny thing happened though, many of those same sophomores looked forward to reading and when their work was completed they would pull out their book to read.
Now with phones being banned in classrooms this would be an ideal time for educators to promote reading. “Bag your phone and bring a book.” I see the possibilities of a nationwide campaign forming.
Like Scout Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, I couldn’t remember a time when I wasn’t reading. It’s typical for me to read at least two books a week. Now that I’m retired from teaching I spend a lot of time reading books. I volunteer two to three times a week at the library as a means of giving back to my community–at least this way I tell my husband as I leave the house in the morning. Confession: I volunteer to bring home more books. As I shelve or process discards I discover books and authors new to me and I load them up in my bookbag. Plain and simple I have a need to read.
When someone finds out I read over a hundred books a year they either drop their jaw or raise their eyebrows. Both reactions indicate amazement. The first is usually accompanied by comments of “Where do you find the time?” or “I can’t imagine reading so many books.” The second reaction is often a “Wow–really?” I think the suspicion is I am fudging the stats or I must do nothing but read. They don’t necessarily say so they don’t believe me but their eyebrows speak a lot.
I have learned over the years that kids, especially little kids, love books. My children fondly remember all the books I would bring home from the library and still talk about books and now bring home books for their own children. They often mention to me how much they appreciate how books were a large part of their childhood.
Books, reading, and childhood all go together. Not so much once the teen years hit. Socializing seems to replace reading. Don’t get me started about phones. By the time I saw students in high school they claimed they hadn’t read a book since fifth or sixth grade. That’s three or four years of not reading for pleasure (I only count books the choose to read not ones they are assigned to read). Yikes! I break out in hives if I don’t have a book in hand and two on the shelf ready to go.
The news emphasizes how school districts are starting to ban phones in the classroom. I suggest administrators and teachers ramp up their efforts on promoting books with all school reads, posting updates on who is reading what–from staff to celebrities. Authors as influencers. What a unique idea…
Oh, by the way–what are you reading this week?
Pam Webb 