Reading For Enjoyment Vice Reading For Duty

I think we do a great disservice to our children with the way we teach them to read, at least after their initial introduction to it.  Once we get them through their basics of literacy, and they finish reading about sassy cats that chase mice and cowboys who have yelling contests against outlaws, we start forcing garbage down their throats that not only do they not enjoy, but which makes them actively hate reading.

In school, there were “classics” I was forced to read, and which I have never gone back to.  From Moby Dick to Jane Eyre to The Old Man and the Sea, none of these books did anything for me.  They were a slog to get through, and I doubt I could tell you a single plot point today beyond there being a big white whale in Moby Dick.  I did not enjoy these books, and they made me dread reading.  This dread is usually what turns children(and, later, adults) off from reading.

Books should be fun.  I know there are a few folks who dislike reading no matter what they book is, but most people can be pulled in if they enjoy what they’re reading.  While schools should try to challenge their students, they should also find ways to encourage reading, and enjoying the story is a major factor in that.  Some of the books kids would choose might be seen as low-brow, but couldn’t that be guided by grownups without being forced?

When anyone is forced to read out of duty rather than enjoyment, they develop an aversion to it where they won’t seek it out unless there is some kind of forcing mechanism.  This may work for certain subjects in school, but it saps their interest in the long term.  Think about it – what was the last book you felt a duty to read that you liked?

The reason this is such a slog is because not only do people enjoy differing stories, they also take to different styles of writing.  I’ve spoken at length about my lack of enthusiasm for Earthclan – it’s wonky and weird, and it’s hard to follow.  Rally Cry, on the other hand, is written in a style that grabs me much more firmly.  I could enjoy Earthclan better if I could make it through the style, for the story sounds great, but I had to put it down, and despite my love for sci-fi, any class that made me read it would’ve been cursed by me the moment I started.

When you want to nurture reading in others, find out what they enjoy, both subject and style.  Promote that.  Find out what isn’t high in the enthusiasm-meter, and wait on that for later.  I’m not talking about not challenging folks, but find out what will disincentivize reading, for someone not wanting to read leads to the same result as them not being challenged in the first place.