As
graduation season approaches, one of the gifts many graduates will receive is
the Dr. Seuss book “Oh The Places You’ll Go.”
As a person who loves to travel, my love for traveling began with
reading.
As a
young reader, books took me to other universes and realms to save humanity,
save the damsel in distress, or to solve the unsolvable crime. I thought about the joy reading has given me
over my years and how the ability to read has given me access to opportunities
that have brought me to this point in my life.
My love of reading also made me think about the children and young
adults who are struggling readers or dislike reading.
I am
troubled by a child or young adult who does not like to read. Since reading was heavily emphasized at my
house, I know the foundation for developing the love of reading begins at
home. As a child and young adult, there
were a plethora of books, magazines, comic books and encyclopedias in my home. My mother read to my brother and I, I read to
my brother, my grandmother took us to the library and during the summer break
we were required to do book reports.
My
love for reading was recognized and supported at the schools I attended. During my elementary school years, we had
daily quite reading time, in middle school we were allowed to do a book report
and present on one of our favorite books, and in high school, my history and
English teachers suggested books to us that would enhance our interest in the
topics were studying. From these
experiences, I became a life-long learner.
Unfortunately,
many children and young adults are not afforded this opportunity. Parents are sitting children down in front of
the television as an electronic babysitter and they expect children will learn
to read by osmosis. In many homes, there
are very few books, magazines and encyclopedias are non-existent in homes due
to the internet. Many children do not
see their parents reading and many parents are not encouraging or cultivating
their children to develop a love of reading.
More importantly, many parents are looking to their child’s school to
teach them to develop a love of reading.
With the current climate of preparing children and young adults to pass
the battery of standardized tests, developing the love of reading is lost. This is most likely where children and young
adults develop a dislike of reading.
I
could discuss the obvious outcomes of children and young adults who don’t
develop a love of reading (poor academic achievement, underachievement,
etc). However children and young adults
who don’t learn develop a love of reading stifles their imagination, hinders
their expectations and future opportunities, and is a threat to self
improvement. Additionally, when they
become adults, it is highly likely the cycle will continue with their
children. Lastly, it is highly likely as
adults they will not become life long learners.
If
children and young adults do not develop a love for reading, they will not have
a reference of where they could go.
Developing a love of reading gives children and young adults the
inspiration to take chances in their adult life. Developing a love for reading could transform
the imagination of childhood into reality in adulthood and show them the places
they could go!
Encourage a Child
to Develop a Love Reading
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