Article about why kids students don’t read anymore

[Anonymous]

This is so depressing and sad, but unfortunately on point:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/25/opinion/college-university-students-reading.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is so depressing and sad, but unfortunately on point:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/25/opinion/college-university-students-reading.html

It's the phones and the devices. One provides instant gratification and books you have to invest time in.

[Anonymous]

Under the model of education used in the western world for centuries, education was about personal formation. We trashed all that in the 20th century, and this is the result.

I don't know the eastern world nearly as much, but I am at least guessing education wasn't just for personal advancement there either.

[Anonymous]

The majority of adults don't read books. Many parents don't read to their little kids. It's not shocking that many students don't read (sad, but not shocking)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The majority of adults don't read books. Many parents don't read to their little kids. It's not shocking that many students don't read (sad, but not shocking)

This. Kids learn from their parents. If you read and your kids see you reading, they will think that is the norm and they will read

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The majority of adults don't read books. Many parents don't read to their little kids. It's not shocking that many students don't read (sad, but not shocking)

That hasn't changed, that has been the case for years and years. The answer is elsewhere. Also, that's not what the article is about, if it's similar to the Atlantic article (I don't have a NYT subscription).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The majority of adults don't read books. Many parents don't read to their little kids. It's not shocking that many students don't read (sad, but not shocking)

This. Kids learn from their parents. If you read and your kids see you reading, they will think that is the norm and they will read

This is true. We have very little screen time and hundreds of books. My lower elementary kid reads. I asked him how much he thinks he reads every day and he said “about 2 hours maybe?” The last thing he does every evening is listen to me read to him. When I go to wake him at 7 in the morning he is usually up reading in bed. This is all normal to him because we made it so. It’s meant trying to break my own phone and screen habits.

[Anonymous]

I watched this video recently and found the argument persuasive: https://youtu.be/A3wJcF0t0bQ?si=e5Rdm-Uz9TajR0hN

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The majority of adults don't read books. Many parents don't read to their little kids. It's not shocking that many students don't read (sad, but not shocking)

This. Kids learn from their parents. If you read and your kids see you reading, they will think that is the norm and they will read

We read all the time, but my kids are too busy with homework to have time to pick up a book for pleasure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The majority of adults don't read books. Many parents don't read to their little kids. It's not shocking that many students don't read (sad, but not shocking)

This. Kids learn from their parents. If you read and your kids see you reading, they will think that is the norm and they will read

We read all the time, but my kids are too busy with homework to have time to pick up a book for pleasure.

I hope you mean 7th-12th grades, not 3rd grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The majority of adults don't read books. Many parents don't read to their little kids. It's not shocking that many students don't read (sad, but not shocking)

That hasn't changed, that has been the case for years and years. The answer is elsewhere. Also, that's not what the article is about, if it's similar to the Atlantic article (I don't have a NYT subscription).

Gift link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/25/opinion/college-university-students-reading.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WU4.0IhG.0dUZgvirzrYV&smid=url-share

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The majority of adults don't read books. Many parents don't read to their little kids. It's not shocking that many students don't read (sad, but not shocking)

This. Kids learn from their parents. If you read and your kids see you reading, they will think that is the norm and they will read

This is true. We have very little screen time and hundreds of books. My lower elementary kid reads. I asked him how much he thinks he reads every day and he said “about 2 hours maybe?” The last thing he does every evening is listen to me read to him. When I go to wake him at 7 in the morning he is usually up reading in bed. This is all normal to him because we made it so. It’s meant trying to break my own phone and screen habits.

I love this! (school librarian here). If the foundation has been laid at home the way you have, then kids will read at school whenever they have a spare moment. Teachers are always asking me how to get kids to read. You have to read to them and give them time to read. If both are done, 98% of kids will settle down and enjoy reading. Too often at school when they have free time, they are on Chromebooks. It needs to be part of the family/school routine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The majority of adults don't read books. Many parents don't read to their little kids. It's not shocking that many students don't read (sad, but not shocking)

This. Kids learn from their parents. If you read and your kids see you reading, they will think that is the norm and they will read

This is true. We have very little screen time and hundreds of books. My lower elementary kid reads. I asked him how much he thinks he reads every day and he said “about 2 hours maybe?” The last thing he does every evening is listen to me read to him. When I go to wake him at 7 in the morning he is usually up reading in bed. This is all normal to him because we made it so. It’s meant trying to break my own phone and screen habits.

I love this! (school librarian here). If the foundation has been laid at home the way you have, then kids will read at school whenever they have a spare moment. Teachers are always asking me how to get kids to read. You have to read to them and give them time to read. If both are done, 98% of kids will settle down and enjoy reading. Too often at school when they have free time, they are on Chromebooks. It needs to be part of the family/school routine.

Parent here to add that teachers make a huge difference for the at-school reading. My kids have had teachers where whenever there's a spare minute, the class readaloud comes out. They've had teachers who instead put on a 10 minute show like Cat in the Hat whenever there's a spare minute. I know it's harder in the modern era of parents-handing-kids-iPads-every-second to get kids into a read-aloud, but the ones who do that work are so great and the kids do end up loving the book. Plus it's better for class connection to listen to the same read aloud than to watch a show together - reading aloud does very different, better things for the brain and for building community.

We are a huge reading family, with regular trips to the library, huge book lists for the kids to look through, reading examples from parents, early learning to read, all of it. I don't need teachers to make these habits for my kids but I love when they back them up at school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The majority of adults don't read books. Many parents don't read to their little kids. It's not shocking that many students don't read (sad, but not shocking)

This. Kids learn from their parents. If you read and your kids see you reading, they will think that is the norm and they will read

This is true. We have very little screen time and hundreds of books. My lower elementary kid reads. I asked him how much he thinks he reads every day and he said “about 2 hours maybe?” The last thing he does every evening is listen to me read to him. When I go to wake him at 7 in the morning he is usually up reading in bed. This is all normal to him because we made it so. It’s meant trying to break my own phone and screen habits.

I love this! (school librarian here). If the foundation has been laid at home the way you have, then kids will read at school whenever they have a spare moment. Teachers are always asking me how to get kids to read. You have to read to them and give them time to read. If both are done, 98% of kids will settle down and enjoy reading. Too often at school when they have free time, they are on Chromebooks. It needs to be part of the family/school routine.

NP. I grew up as a reader, DH also although a bit less. We read to our kids, taught them to read, go to BN, McKay's, and the library all the time. They have lots of books, fiction and nonfiction. They are readers and enjoy reading. But screens are more interesting. Nothing can compete with a phone, tablet, computer. A lot of our electronics spend a lot of time away, do that we can get some reading in. Otherwise none of us would ever read anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The majority of adults don't read books. Many parents don't read to their little kids. It's not shocking that many students don't read (sad, but not shocking)

This. Kids learn from their parents. If you read and your kids see you reading, they will think that is the norm and they will read

This is true. We have very little screen time and hundreds of books. My lower elementary kid reads. I asked him how much he thinks he reads every day and he said “about 2 hours maybe?” The last thing he does every evening is listen to me read to him. When I go to wake him at 7 in the morning he is usually up reading in bed. This is all normal to him because we made it so. It’s meant trying to break my own phone and screen habits.

OK you need a dose of reality. 2nd or 3rd grade is not the same as 7th or 8th grades. Get back to us in 5 years!

My kids were always read to, loved to read till maybe 4th. Computers take over at that point both in school on laptops and electronics in the form of iPads.

You don't get that books as a gateway to reading and writing are simply not accepted anymore. You text, we all text. You google, we all text. Once your little kid is old enough so will they. The love of reading at age 8 is not a forever guarantee. Hell, what anyone does at 8 or 9 will drastically change at 13 - guaranteed.

The upside is I'll share that DD 13 in 8th grade hates reading but writes fabulously well. Her teachers cannot believe she doesn't read much and hates it because she writes so well. It's because she watches 10000 movies - that's her thing. She's learned how language works by hearing v reading. Also, while she hates to read, she loves well written stories so it's not that she hates books, she just wants to read good stuff.

I am someone who LOVES to read. I was an Eng Lit minor and should and could easily have been a major. But it's just a different time these days. Things change with time. I'm not so concerned about people not reading much or writing a ton as I am about the many conveniences we have that negates our need for critical thinking and any complexity. Everything is about speed and convenience. That's how we got here.