M: Make America (and the World) Read Again!

As we've seen in the last US Presidential elections, slogans (and the messages for their target audiences) work. So what do we do about reading? Libraries have campaigns, schools have campaigns, bookstores have campaigns, but do they really work? The latest numbers from recent surveys show that 70% of American households didn't purchase a book last year, 80% of households didn't visit the library, and 85% of households didn't visit a bricks and mortar bookstore last year. 

I felt this frustration as a teacher. I'd assign reading material, but had to rely on the drive or interest of the student, to complete the necessary assignment. There was a disconnect at home, because of logistics, job requirements, time, availability, and even relationship of the parent and child. I would never attempt to remedy that situation, except to request that reading doesn't take away from an already overextended situation, but perhaps it could enhance it. As a graduate student, I used to read to my newborn son over the years the texts I needed to complete for my program. While I also included story books, I found it really didn't matter what I read, it was reading itself that brought my son and I closer. As he grew older, we'd read bedtime stories, and many times he would see my wife and I reading, not because it was a requirement, but because it was a pleasure.

Unfortunately, school changed that thinking, as there was a pervasive sense of required reading each day, without a consideration as to what other studies the student was taking, electives/sports/clubs he/she were involved, jobs they may have, or home life they are a part of. The reading list became daunting as it seems that many felt that the best way to read, is just read, read, and read some more. While this mindset has changes for the better over the past several years, it was too late for many generations, including my son, who lost interest in reading because he equated it with doing something without benefit, and that's a shame.

So what do we do? I would hope we would work on personalizing the material available considering how it is relevant, and demonstrate how it benefits them now and in the future. We've talked of role models in society. As teachers we talk about modeling the behavior. I would find books that interested the books and met the standards. Should it be that hard for any child, parent, family, or community. I worked with RoomtoRead, an organization that worked to supply a book to every child in the world. With my bookstore, I'd offer free books to interest each person and it worked - you didn't just have a person read, you had them read a lifetime - so let's create our own slogan, to make people want to read around the world, and let's back it with an opportunity and access to something that guides us, that teaches us, that accompanies us, that inspires us, that pleases us - and let's start now!