We all love reading right? I’m sure you’re not following this blog without being a fan of reading. But how did we get here? To be lovers of books? Was it something we picked up all by ourselves or did someone show us the way?
Were there several people in your life who helped you on the path to reading or was it one bright light of a person who struck that match and lit that spark of love?
Reading is so important. It can take us places. It can educate us. It can improve our lives and can energise us to stretch ourselves. It has endless possibilities. Yet with children it can be a fine line between showing them the way and pushing them over the edge where they feel bullied into reading and start to resent it. Show them, let them explore, find the love themselves and they’re on the path.
I have let my little man loose in Waterstones and he’s found his own love of books. He’s found his current niche so to speak. And his niche is fantasy. He will read for an hour at night with me in bed before he goes to sleep. He loves the Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson books. He’s read the whole series, so now he’s reading the Egyptian series Riordan has written.
We also wandered over to the YA stand as he’s running out of choice in the 9-12 section and he selected another book for our book-case now waiting to be read. He is way above his reading age and above most of his classmates. He loves reading. It’s often a fight to get him to close his book to get him to go to bed. And these aren’t small books, they are 500 pages long.
Yet, why is it when he finished one book and took in a similar book to school his teacher asked him if he had read Wonder. He said he had started it (I have it) but didn’t enjoy it. Her response? That’s not the point……
Can someone please tell me what exactly is the point? I get she may want him to explore other books, but to tell a child to read a book that they’re clearly not interested in? Aren’t you at risk of putting them off reading? I’ve told him to tell her when he’s finished this one he has a different type to read next.
I just want him to keep reading and to enjoy it. He will choose different books as he reads his way through the ones he has.
And on a side note, at his last parent teacher meeting last year with a different teacher, I was told his ‘big writes’ were exceptional and the teacher had not seen that standard before. I can see me butting heads at some point over this reading thing.
MarinaSofia says
He’ll find his way to other books eventually – at the moment it’s more important that he reads the kind of books he enjoys. I’ve learnt the hard way that if you insist they read one particular book, they will not touch it with a barge pole. (My elder son loved Harry Potter, Rick Riordan and Emil and the Detectives, my younger one won’t even look at them: but he does love David Walliams). My two read nothing but comic books for a while after we moved to France – and still it helped them to build up a vocabulary in French and they have since moved on to more difficult books.
All too often boys disengage with reading at about the age of 12 or so (when they get into computer games and the like), so fingers crossed yours and mine keep up their good habits.
Rebecca Bradley says
Exactly. It’s why I just try and guide him to shelves and let him choose his own books. He has discovered Minecraft, so the fact that he still enjoys reading is a blessing! But then there are rules in place that games are off by a certain time so the only thing to do is read and he likes to read at the side of me which is nice for both of us. I hope, like you say, it continues. Fingers crossed for both of us as you say.
cleopatralovesbooks says
One of the things I learnt was that some teachers will never be happy. The same teacher who hauled my eldest in front of the class to tell them about The Hobbit (after accusing her of lying and stating she couldn’t possibly have read it) also used to have a go at my youngest for not reading. Neither approach got a positive response with my youngest child not actively seeking out books until he’d finished his A Levels.
Unfortunately as a parent you can provide the tools which will make reading more likely but if their interests are diverted by other things, well that’s the way things are. Having said that I love discussing books with my eldest who is a reader like her mother and would not dream of leaving the house without a book in her handbag 🙂
Rebecca Bradley says
It bemuses me sometimes. In fact my youngest had such a terrible year with one teacher that I spoke to this years teacher before he went up about learning styles (which they should already be aware of) and they as all children learn differently, I’m aware that my boy will not learn well from being shot down in flames (which I will, I will get up and fight back and show them I can do it) but he will shine under praise. I think it goes some way to show that the large classroom approach really isn’t working well.
That was dreadful for your eldest to go through. It’s about encouraging them all the way, not doing things to make them hate reading.
cleopatralovesbooks says
It is odd because as you say the teachers should know the theory. My eldest only told me a few years ago about the incident which I found astounding. Fortunately the love of books was ingrained by then so the teacher didn’t alter anything but it does seem a strange thing to do. With my son, of course I’d have preferred him to read more but constantly telling him to wasn’t going to change anything and he was already outperforming the rest of the class on comprehension and vocabulary so it all seemed a bit counter-productive.
Alex J. Cavanaugh says
They have to read their text books – that’s enough forcing. Making a kid finish a book (that’s suppose to be for fun) is going to turn him off from reading.
My parents read to me, supplied me with books, and I always saw them reading. That was enough to make me a reader.
Rebecca Bradley says
That’s a great point Alex, about their text books. I also agree that seeing parents reading is a big motivator. It does seem to be something that encourages my youngest.
Margot Kinberg says
Rebecca – I couldn’t agree more. It sounds as though your son is already learning to make his own choices of what to read and follow his own interests. When someone limits a child in that way, of course it’s going to have a negative effect. There’s lots of evidence for that. There’s research evidence too that when children are free to make their own reading choices, they’re more likely to widen their horizons as they get older and more mature. I think it’s so unfortunate that teacher said that. Your son’s lucky to have you to help counteract that.
Rebecca Bradley says
He definitely has his own idea’s on what he likes to read Margot and as you say, as he gets older, he will widen his choices naturally. Right now it’s important just to keep him reading and at an enjoyment level. As Marina said he’s coming to the age where a lot of them just drop off because there are so many other distractions. I shall look forward to the parent teacher meeting which should be due soon. 🙂
Prashant C. Trikannad says
Rebecca, the question you pose will be relevant even a hundred years from now. I think the best way to engage children with reading is to start with the basics — as Alex says, read out or make up stories to kids when they are very young and then slowly build up their interest in reading through other means, True, children often take to reading because they grow up seeing one or both parents reading. I have shared your post on LinkedIn. I hope you don’t mind.
Rebecca Bradley says
You’re right Prashant about the relevancy of this in the future. There is currently a drive in the UK to get more children reading and it is also being aimed at parents, trying to get them to read to children for ten minutes a day. It’s so sad that something we all love so much is being missed out on by so many people. I wish we could just sweep up the world and say to them, look, read, jump into another world if you wish, I think it could help a lot of issues. Thank you for sharing my post.
Jacqui Murray says
Odd response. I’ve heard exactly the opposite. When my son didn’t like reading (in 2nd grade), his teacher said get him reading whatever he enjoys–get him started that way. It worked. He reads all the time now, as does my daughter (they’re both mid-20’s).
So I respectfully disagree with her. I’d say she’s not the one to discuss reading with.
Rebecca Bradley says
It’s a shame isn’t it. I think she probably wants to widen his reading experience but to say it doesn’t matter that he doesn’t enjoy it? At an age when as a boy, he is likely to start going off reading anyway. Your son had a great teacher! 🙂
Keishon says
I agree with the others. Letting the child pick what they want to read is the way to go.
Side note: it took my sister (mid-twenties) FOREVER to just to pick up a book and read it on her own. It took reading Janet Evanovich to get her going. That was such a huge deal at the time. We are a family of readers so something had to be done. Totally unrelated to your post but wanted to share anyway.
Rebecca Bradley says
You’d think it would be the way to go wouldn’t you and for me with him, it has been so far. It has had him reading 500 page novels, which far out reads many of his classmates. I’ll discuss her thought process with her when I see her.
As for your sister, I understand that. I didn’t get my sister reading for pleasure until she was into her thirties when I finally pushed a book into her hands I thought she might connect with and enjoy and she did and from that point she has continued to read. Us readers, we just can’t help ourselves can we? 🙂
Gwen says
I got into reading because my parents were readers. And I wasn’t allowed to watch TV XD
Teaching reading though – that’s tough. Working as a teacher, I can say it much easier to have the entire class read one book. Easier to plan lessons, easier to grade, save self-selected books for a final project. You might also want to teach kids a specific type of lesson that’s associated with a story – looking past looks like in Wonder perhaps – that would be hard to get out of something else. But at that point, it’s not about fostering interest in reading (which your son already has) but getting meaning from the text. It’s a different focus.
But that’s the thing – is the teacher teaching morals, story structure, life lessons? Or increasing a love for reading? By a certain grade level, or competency, it should be the latter. Which your son is at.
Rebecca Bradley says
Thanks Gwen. I considered that, but it wasn’t a class thing, it was the self chosen books, where they can go to the school library and pick a book. Except the books are not of interest to my youngest or at a level he is reading at so I buy his. I know Wonder is, but it’s still a small book. I think she wants to widen his reading horizons, but to say it doesn’t matter if he enjoys it is just silly. The way to go to put him off reading.