Why We Read

boy readinh

I have been part of a few discussion recently regarding “reading incentive” programs, and it has caused me to do a lot of thinking about motivating readers.  I have also done quite a bit of reflecting about my own reading life.

As a kid, my mom and I (and brother) read together every night – every night well into my preteen years.  We read picture books, chapter books, novels – it was a shared time to experience books together, and we both loved it.

As a kid, I participated in the library’s summer reading program every summer.  I read frantically, zipping through books to fill in Bingo cards.  I read and filled out “book reports” at an alarming rate to try to get a trophy for reading the most books that summer (which I never got by the way.)

As a kid, we had to read several novels in fifth grade.  As we read, we were required to read round robin in the class.  We then had to search for vocabulary words in the pages we had read, and copy the sentences.  I still deeply hate each of those novels to this day.

As a kid (really a preteen) I participated in Accelerated Reader quizzes and incentives at school.  Once again I flew through books and quizzes in hot pursuit of points and prizes. I read A LOT, and I even learned that you could pass plenty of quizzes without reading at all…..

As an adult, I read to learn.  I just ordered a book on neuroscience and its interplay with social development because I had to have it.  I want to know more, and I turn to books to help me.

As an adult, I read to get lost.  I find stories and experiences that suck me in, and I get to that place in books where I just can’t stop reading.  And then, when I get to the end of the book, I grieve, because the book is over, and I feel lost without that world.

As an adult, I love talking to my good friend about books.  If we happen to read the same book, we call each other when we are finished and talk for ages about the characters and what we thought.  We share book recommendations and we trade books.  We love to chat about our reading experiences.

In reflecting, I have had varied reading experiences.  Some things were consistent – they got me to read often.  One thing we know about reading is that, in order to get better at reading, you need to read.  The contests and incentives did get me to read.  However, I question how much I absorbed from any of those experiences.  I was reading for speed, and not for much else.  I doubt that I truly enjoyed too may of those books, because I was regularly checking to see how many pages I had left until I was done.

Reading with my mom, though, was different.  There was no contest or prize, other than the time we spent together with the books.  It did not matter how fast we read a book.  The only incentive to read another chapter on any given night was that we just couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next.

mom reading

I am a reader – a lifelong reader who loves books.  I was a reader before the incentive programs, and, lucky for me, they did not destroy my love of reading.  However, I think it is worth considering what those type of reading experiences do for kids that did not have my mom.  Are they learning to love to read?  Are they wanting to find out what comes next, or are they simply checking to see how many pages they have to go?  Do they remember anything that they read?  Are they even reading, or just taking the test and hoping to score enough to win a prize?

In our classrooms, we have the chance to create readers like my mom did.  We have the chance to give children the experience of begging for one more chapter.  We can teach them how fun it is to talk with friends about books, and how books can help us learn more about things we are curious about.  Shouldn’t we take that opportunity?  Shouldn’t we build readers?

girl reading 2

boy reading 2

 

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Reading is fun

Lemony

Bedtime Story

mom reads 1

5 Responses to Why We Read

  1. Muriel Rand January 21, 2013 at 3:24 pm #

    I completely agree with you and I had similar experiences. I also have to read! In fact, I’d love to know what the book is on neuroscience and the interplay with social development that you just ordered!

    Instead of spending all the time coming up with incentives to read, I think the time would be better spent helping children choose books that meet their interests and are on the right level. I’ve found that many reluctant boys can be more interested in non-fiction than stories. It would be a shame to allow a child to miss out on the joy of becoming a reader!!

    • Teaching Ace January 21, 2013 at 4:24 pm #

      Absolutely! Choice plays such a huge role in reading. I wonder if that is part of why I disliked those books in fifth grade so much… And I agree – my boys, even in kindergarten, are definitely drawn to informational texts. They can certainly pour over books about sharks, lizards, and monster trucks though!

      This discussion makes me wonder how a child without an engaging parent reading to them (or anyone reading to them) would reflect back on reading incentive programs. As successful lifelong readers, we were not negatively impacted by the programs. But what about those who struggled?

    • Teaching Ace January 21, 2013 at 4:45 pm #

      I forgot to tell you the name of the book! The one I just ordered is “The Social Neuroscience of Education: Optimizing Attachment and Learning in the Classroom” by Louis Cozolino. I am also listening to Proust and the Squid on CD right now by Maryanne Wolf. That is all about the development of the reading brain. I would also recommend Brain Rules by John Medina. That one is less about reading, but is a great read about some truths about the brain, and the impact on schooling and success.

      I am really into reading about the brain right now! Let me know if you get into any of these.

  2. Laurie January 22, 2013 at 1:29 am #

    I LOVE this. I tell my class all the time that they need to cherish their free reading choices. My heart breaks for all the middle school/high school students whose love of reading often gets stifled by required reading. Thanks for sharing.

    • Teaching Ace January 22, 2013 at 5:50 pm #

      Cherish is a wonderful word. I really do cherish when I get the chance to sit down and read, and especially when I get lost in a book. It is wonderful to help students know that feeling.