I had a student tell me once that he wanted to take classes that didnt require a lot of reading. After recovering from the hyperventilation that ensued, I tried to explain to him how important it is to read. In the Parade insert in the Sunday paper, there was an article how Levar Burton is beginning a new Reading Rainbow series. His goal back in the 80s with that show was to instill a love of reading into kids, and hes continuing that now. The article also mentioned how 2/3 of fourth graders cannot read to the appropriate level. OH MY GOSH. That is inexcusable to us as a nation, and Im not talking the public schools. Reading is an individual responsibility. Teachers can teach all they can, but if a student doesnt pick up books and read, that instruction will not be absorbed, nor will they get better. Thats like our music majors going to their private lessons and not practicing before returning the next week for another lesson. Good luck there, huh? What does this have to do with you? Two things. One, pick up books and read for fun this summer. During the semester, pick up your textbooks and read them, carefully and slowly. Thats how you learn. Thats how you improve your ability to read and comprehend. Two, if you have children, or when you have children, sit down with them as babies and read to them. Get them enrolled in the summer reading programs at the library. Watch Reading Rainbow. Give them the gift of being a good reader and the love of books.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 14:22:20 +0000