I saw on the news the other day how our nation’s SAT scores have declined significantly in the past few years. According to The Washington Post’s Valerie Strauss “critical reading scores are the lowest in 40 years.”
Most parents and teachers will say that children just don’t spend enough time reading, and I would certainly agree. Too many distractions from TV, computer games, and smartphones take a huge part of the blame. However, I propose that well-meaning parents and teachers are also part of the problem. As a middle school librarian, I see students who love reading and students who are 100% resistant to it. So what is the difference? Why do some children and teens read constantly, while others scoff at the prospect of reading even the shortest assignment?
I have seen many well-meaning parents and teachers get it wrong by placing too many restrictions on a child’s reading or unintentionally throwing obstacles in their way. Believe it or not, many children and teens WANT to read; they just don’t always want to read what the adults in their lives deem worthy. I cringe when I hear a mother tell her child “that book is too hard for you” or a librarian tell a child that “kindergarteners can only check out from these shelves” or a teacher tell a child that “books on playaway aren’t real reading.” Enough already!
Schools and parents who want better readers need to loosen up and allow children and teens to take charge of their own reading. And it begins here, with A Child’s Library Bill of Rights.
1. “Let me pick my own books.”
Nothing will do more to increase interest in reading than allowing children and teens to choose their own books. Think about it: Adults, would YOU want to read something just because someone else thought it was good for you? What if it were something you weren’t interested in? What if it were too hard or too easy for you? Read the rest of this entry »
