Today, we read. Just that: read. And kids may read what they like: book, magazine, comic book, newspaper, etc. I just want them to read. So, I will support what I want buy providing the time, the opportunity to do just that. Read.

Of course, even though I have visions of kids’ devouring their desired print, the reality will be less wondrous. For some, it will be a veritable feast as they dig hungrily into their dishes, but for others it will be a near hunger strike as they pick at their plates, reluctant to take even one bite. The idea of the “reluctant reader” is not new to ed; it is a common phenomenon, and while I know well the struggle of encouraging the reluctant reader, I also know–sadly–the struggle of the “resentful reader,” kids who not only won’t read but also who harbor deep resentment for the act itself.

As a reader, this is not always easy for me to understand. I love reading. I always have. And I think that’s largely due to my having positive experiences, and while there are too many factors to point to, I imagine for my other lovers of reading, that this, too, was the case for many of them. But, then,  that must work the other way also. My kids who hate–not too strong a word (trust me)–reading likely had and continued to have negative experiences with it at school. At school. Home bears some weight, but by and large we carry the bulk of creating the resentment that many feel for reading. And not just the “low kids.”  “High kids,” driven to madness by our obsession with Lexile scores and AR points, are not immune to the “schooling” of reading. Its impact is far-reaching and destructive.

I can’t change what’s been done. I control not the past, but I have some leverage on the present, and so I seek to take the “schooling” out of the reading experience. I won’t undo the past or save them all, but if I can help some return to the joy or maybe even lead some to first discover the pleasure of reading, then I will sit comfortably and confidently in my resolve to just let them read. Let ’em read.

Too simple a solution? Maybe. But I am not sure that we ever had to make it so complicated in the first place.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will…

…begin with Smiles and Frowns.

…hear our Mindset Mantra (hoping the “We are readers” sinks in.).

…read. Mondays are reading days.

…reflect in our Journey Journals.

…end with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Monday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.