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May 3, 2013

We Are Always Learning!

I had an interesting talk with a teacher today.  She has read Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading out loud to her class.  They loved it, she loved it, a big hit!

But she was very disappointed with the ending.

She wanted an epiphany from Charlie to where he decided he liked reading.

I said some kids never like reading and she disagreed.  She said kids will always read something they are interested in:  a video game manual, a website, ifunny jokes, etc...  And she is right.  My partner librarian piped up and said a kid who dislikes reading will read, just not normally for enjoyment. 

These are things I knew, I was just so focused on getting kids to like reading that I overlooked these facts!

I live with a two men who rarely read for enjoyment--my husband, and my 4.0 freshman in high school.  You cannot tell me a kid who gets 4.0 doesn't read a bunch everyday.  He does, it's just not what he chooses to do when he is home relaxing at night.  He wants to play basketball on the trampoline, or "read" jokes from ifunny, or watch TV. 

Same with my husband, he is a cop who writes his own reports and reads others' reports all day.  He is a reader, it's just not what he chooses to do when he relaxes (he would say it is watch TV but we all know it is sleep on the couch with the TV on).

So next time my son says he hates reading I will correct him and tell him he actually doesn't mind reading, he does it all day.  It's just not the activity he chooses to do for fun.  And that is still ok.

Life lessons!!  I love them!

5 comments:

  1. Oh that is an important lesson.

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  2. Love that lesson, I have to remind myself that reading encompasses so much of a school day and when I ask to do some at home it can be thought of as a chore. My most success is in picking high interest topics (video game books or even magazines).

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    1. Exactly! I told my son my new theory and he nodded. He was sitting there reading ifunny on his ipad as I was telling him and I think he made that connection! Luckily my younger son is enjoying reading for pleasure!

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  3. My 10-year-old Groovy Girl thinks of it as a chore. Every once in a while she will love a book so much and get enthused but it is not her main fun activity like it was (and is still) for me.

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    1. When my older son found Diary of a Wimpy Kid he read that OVER watching TV or anything else. But it has been awhile since he has connected like that. Makes me hopeful that it will happen again someday though!

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