School started today, so my classroom is once again filled with students hoping to manage their way through what I throw at them, whether it be the simple tale Of Mice and Men in English I, or the more challenging Inferno of Dante in Advanced Placement Literature. What they also seem to hope is to get by with as little reading as possible. I fully recognize that a sizeable portion of my seniors cut corners on their summer reading. They rely on Sparks Notes, Cliff's Notes, and Wikipedia to find the answers they could find as easily in the actual reading.
I'm always at a loss this time of year wondering why so few students don't take to reading as productive passtime.
My loosely and anectdotally based observations come down to what is practiced at home, and what is promoted in the popular media. There is no denying that booksellers are hurting as people turn away from books. But what are they turning toward? Are the absences left with the loss of literature being adequately filled by television, the internet, or other electronic media? I believe they are not. I believe the dumbing down of our students is largely due to their lack of appreciation for reading. No one ever learned while talking, something many of my students are quite good at. But everyone who reads learns something, whether it be how to make popcorn int the microwave, or how to investigate the relationship between medicine and history. Reading is essential to growth, but alas too many students, at least at high school, are less interested in growth than they are in gain.
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