I feel like I should start with and explanation of my title. I chose to name this blog "Readicide to Re(ad)birth". Readicide is a word from Gallagher's title implying the mass killing of reading; the other word is supposed to be a combination of read and rebirth, signifying the bringing to life of reading.
As if you couldn't tell from the lack of real words in the title, I am not a pleasure reader. I am a college graduate, I am a graduate student, I will be a teacher, I (think I) am a fully functioning member of society, and I don't enjoy reading. I think it is alright to enjoy something more than reading, as long as I can read enough to be functional and productive. With that said, I don't know that I would call "readicide" a problem, if a student is a natural reader, he or she will find that love no matter what the school does, and if a student is not inclined to read, he or she won't. These are all opinions I held before reading any of Gallagher's book.
As a read, I came to the conclusion this book could very easily be a blog. It does not seem to have much more fact than it does opinion, though I suppose the scientist in me wanted to see evidence over hypothesis. A lot of the charts are hard to see and questionable as to how accurately they are portraying the information, but that's beside the point. Gallagher seemed to talk in circles and really focused more on the "teaching to the test" problem than the "lack of love for reading" issue. I do have to agree that he picked the bigger problem! I am currently in a 6th grade life science class using the SEPUP book, where content is not as important as concepts and understanding. As 6th graders, and middle schoolers, it is more important to gather interest enough to successfully make it through high school science than to have a ton of facts temporarily crammed in your head. Unfortunately, the NCLB requires the crammed facts to pass the state and federal tests. There is a serious disconnect when the textbooks are not aligning with the intended product of the standards, and unfortunately the teacher are caught in the middle.
It's nice to see that I am not the only one who doesn't enjoy reading. Although I think it is scarey that so many students HATE to read, I'm with you to an extent. I'm not very bothered that they don't absolutely LOVE reading because neither do I but just like you, I can read and be very functional in society so is it the end of the world that I don't pick up a book to read for pleasure? Not in my eyes. What does bother me though is that teachers want the students to enjoy reading but they don't exactly give them reading material that is enjoyable. I think if teachers set up their classes where students could read the books that actually interested them, readicide wouldn't be what it is. I'm rambling but when I read Readicide, my defintion adds to a few extra words. It is the killing of the love to reading of what people don't want to read. No one likes to be told what to do. I think they just don't like being told what they have to read.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree that natural talents tend to rise to the top, I think that teachers definitely have the ability to turn students on or off to their subject. I know that I've had educators turn me off to topics, thoughts, and subjects that I might have otherwise enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteI am personally a slow reader when I read for pleasure. I tend to get wrapped up in a story and read fairly slowly. I imagine the story in my head and seem to lose the ability to skim or read quickly. Given this I don't complete as many books as I'd like to.
Since I enjoy reading for pleasure, I am having a hard time understanding those who do not. There are so many types of "reading for pleasure" that I feel there is something for everyone. I teach math so I get a math teachers magazine monthly. I enjoy reading that. Have either of you explored less traditional genres? Reading for pleasure doesn't have to be a fiction story. Pleasure reading can be magazines, newspapers, blogs, online articles, biographies, or other nonfiction genres. I know if I read a book that is even slightly more historical than story, I shut down. History for the sake of history bores me, so I don't read those types of books. I do find plenty of material that I do enjoy.
Like I said I am struggling to understand how someone who values knowledge like I know we all do, doesn't enjoy reading anything for pleasure. Please help.
I know that my husband, who is a math teacher, will tell you that he hates to read and he means it! But he will sit on ESPN.com for hours reading all kinds of boring crap. He also has a magazine subscription, it is MAXIM, but still, it has words. So I agree with Julie, any kind of reading is reading. I am an English content and I hate to read anything that doesnt interest me.....who doesn't???
ReplyDeleteMe being a future teacher of English I would tell you yeah I love to read as a first grader I was reading way above level and therefore got bumped up to taking reading outside my regular classroom with an upper grade room. I'd also tell you that I love to read to this day and think it's important. However as a realist I know that everyone won't enjoy reading and that's perfectly fine. You mentioned in your post that one should be able to read enough to be functional and productive I think that is the point that Gallagher is getting at, with teachers only teaching for a test, reading skills and strategies are taking a backseat to the point that students are lacking the skills necessary to graduate from school let alone become a functioning member of society. How can someone get a job when they can barely read the application. This is what we are faced with. I had a fifth grade student last year that was reading on a first grade level and had little comprehsion of what he did read, and unless there is some miracle that comes along I highly doubt his reading skills will get much better and there are many more just like him at the school and schools acroos the nation. Lack of literacy increases the chances of dropping out(how can you pass or study for a test you can't read or understand?). With that being said I dont think everyone has to love to read but I do think everyone should possess the skills to read at a certain level so that they can be functional members of society.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you somewhat. I do agree that many students are more drawn to reading thanothers however, I think that the teacher and the way reading is introduced plays an integral part in promoting literacy. I can't stand to read and I think that is due to a combination of my attention deficit disorder and the fact that I had to read awful long boring books in high school
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