Why do adults read? Nobody is forcing them to. There is no essay due next week, no exam at the end of the year. What answer would we expect if we asked them?
No. Ninety nine percent of the time they’ll say: “I read because I enjoy it.”
The benefits of reading listed above are all true for children, but the one thing that is often overlooked, or mentioned as a side note, is that children should enjoy reading. If they enjoy it, all of the other positive benefits will fall into place. Teaching the enjoyment of reading is something that in my opinion, we often fail to do. A contributing factor is that not enough importance is placed on finding the right book for each child. Kids, like adults, don’t all like the same music, food, sports, or films. So why would children all like the same book? What sparks the imagination of one child will be as dull as ditch water to another, and I’m not sure we place enough emphasis on finding what books an individual child might choose for themselves to read.
The first time I remember really enjoying reading independently was after a family friend lent me a battered old copy of the first Harry Potter. It was a children’s book, but it dealt with adult issues and didn’t patronise young readers. I am lucky though, as I grew up in a house that encouraged reading as a good thing to do, so I went into school with a decent reading age. Many children don’t have that privilege, so school is their only exposure to reading. If a child thinks reading is boring at school… well, reading is boring to them full stop. A primary school teacher may well be entitled to roll their eyes, as they of course have to consider the needs of an entire class of varying abilities when choosing reading material. However, if there was a way of giving teachers the time and resources to let each child choose a book from the school or local library that might give them that ‘spark’, then that would surely bring a huge benefit.
Some children will inevitably leave primary school feeling a little ‘meh’ about reading, but it is in secondary education where we teach them to truly fear it. The amount of GCSE students I have tutored at the lower end of the ability spectrum who are muddling their way through 19th century texts and Shakespeare plays is honestly a bit depressing. These students are so busy trying to understand the language, that they have no time to get involved in the story. I’m explaining words to them that they will probably never see again. Deciphering classical ways of speaking that they will likely never hear again. If they didn’t dislike reading already, they certainly do now. Would we not be better served teaching students at this level from a modern day novel with content that they can relate to (and whisper it) actually enjoy? It would still be possible to teach them about the structure, language, and literary devices that the author is using. I have debated with English teachers on this topic, and have heard valid counterarguments, but for me, the classics are only valuable for higher ability students with the potential to study English at the next level.
Secondary school will be the last time many students will have to read a book. Of course, they will read in some capacity every day for the rest for their lives, but perhaps never for pleasure. Many of my friends don’t read. Adults who never read and live in a house without books are more likely to have children whose only exposure to reading is through school… and the cycle continues.
Reading should be a gift in the modern world. A chance to experience a form of escape and relaxation that isn’t information overload via blue light from a screen. For many of us, it is. And that’s probably because a parent or teacher got the right book into our hands when we were a child. We need to find a way to do that for more children.
Written by: Marcus White
Ivy Education, 126 New Kings Road, London SW6 4LZ
+44 (0)207 736 6977
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