For Gen Alpha, learning to read is a privilege, not a right

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never have I been so glad to be the "weird" parent that allows almost zero screen time. My second grader loves to read, begs to go to the library, and reads increasingly complex books. I hear the other parents in my neighborhood fret over their kids' lack of reading skills.

We do the same. Almost zero screens. Very strong reader who reads for fun.

Same here. I also set up multiple reading areas all around the house to make it easy and pleasant to read.

Living room couches with bookshelves, dedicated library room with table and chairs, a small book bin in his bedroom for reading, a beanbag in the family room for reading. We also visit the library once or twice a month and he gets to borrow a tote bag full of books. He will literally sit in front of the tv on the beanbag and read for hours without once asking to watch tv.

I am so glad we prioritized books and reading, and am happy we haven’t had screen time fights so far. I am sure they are coming… I keep hearing ALL boys play video games once they hit double digits in age. He is 8. Classmates parents ask how I get him off his tablet. Simple: he doesn’t have one.

Learning and having broad knowledge of the world isn’t going to come from having a book in your hand all day. That’s just one of many activities kids can be involved in to help them be well rounded. Video games are not evil. Just keep the games age appropriate. If you look at successful guys in their 30s and 40s you will see the majority routinely played video games and many still play.

Having broad knowledge at this age absolutely comes in large part from extensive reading at this age, along with travel. He is reading about different time periods, geographic regions, and others’ experiences. I didn’t say video games are evil, but I don’t think any child under 10-11 needs to be playing them regularly. Ours has played them a handful of times at birthday parties and at friends’ houses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never have I been so glad to be the "weird" parent that allows almost zero screen time. My second grader loves to read, begs to go to the library, and reads increasingly complex books. I hear the other parents in my neighborhood fret over their kids' lack of reading skills.

We do the same. Almost zero screens. Very strong reader who reads for fun.

Same here. I also set up multiple reading areas all around the house to make it easy and pleasant to read.

Living room couches with bookshelves, dedicated library room with table and chairs, a small book bin in his bedroom for reading, a beanbag in the family room for reading. We also visit the library once or twice a month and he gets to borrow a tote bag full of books. He will literally sit in front of the tv on the beanbag and read for hours without once asking to watch tv.

I am so glad we prioritized books and reading, and am happy we haven’t had screen time fights so far. I am sure they are coming… I keep hearing ALL boys play video games once they hit double digits in age. He is 8. Classmates parents ask how I get him off his tablet. Simple: he doesn’t have one.

Learning and having broad knowledge of the world isn’t going to come from having a book in your hand all day. That’s just one of many activities kids can be involved in to help them be well rounded. Video games are not evil. Just keep the games age appropriate. If you look at successful guys in their 30s and 40s you will see the majority routinely played video games and many still play.

Having broad knowledge at this age absolutely comes in large part from extensive reading at this age, along with travel. He is reading about different time periods, geographic regions, and others’ experiences. I didn’t say video games are evil, but I don’t think any child under 10-11 needs to be playing them regularly. Ours has played them a handful of times at birthday parties and at friends’ houses.

That was a general statement about people who automatically think there are no redeeming qualities. There are pros and cons like everything.

He’s only 8 so I’m thinking of older kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former Elementary School Librarian here. The easiest thing any parent can do for their child is to simply read bedtime stories. Honestly. Start early and nurture a love to hear stories. Eventually, they will want to read on their own.
Parents who send their children to school and who do not promote education or reading at home will get what they get.
Reading a few short picture books at the end of the day is a simple way to bond with your child.

Agree with this.

We really prioritized reading with our kid and she reads. We are also readers.

If we just left it to the school, she would have learned how to read but have little interest in it. Most of her friends barely read and the ones that do have a strong preference for graphic novels. Whereas DD will read a graphic novel now and then but she likes reading text. But reading comes very easily to her. She never struggled and reads well above grade level. I think some of that is innate (and the good fortune of no learning disorder). But some of it was the example we set -- reading to her, reading with her, reading on our own around her. Talking about books, taking her to the library and bookstores, etc. Helping her find books that matched her interests. Letting her read what she wanted and not forcing books on her.

I think it's kind of like when you see a kid who is a really good athlete and you think "oh wow he must be really naturally talented." And yes, to some extent he is. But then you learn both his parents were college athletes and his mom still runs marathons and his dad played soccer professionally for a bit. It's nature and nurture. It does not just happen independently. Well reading works that way too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Elementary School Librarian here. The easiest thing any parent can do for their child is to simply read bedtime stories. Honestly. Start early and nurture a love to hear stories. Eventually, they will want to read on their own.
Parents who send their children to school and who do not promote education or reading at home will get what they get.
Reading a few short picture books at the end of the day is a simple way to bond with your child.

Agree with this.

We really prioritized reading with our kid and she reads. We are also readers.

If we just left it to the school, she would have learned how to read but have little interest in it. Most of her friends barely read and the ones that do have a strong preference for graphic novels. Whereas DD will read a graphic novel now and then but she likes reading text. But reading comes very easily to her. She never struggled and reads well above grade level. I think some of that is innate (and the good fortune of no learning disorder). But some of it was the example we set -- reading to her, reading with her, reading on our own around her. Talking about books, taking her to the library and bookstores, etc. Helping her find books that matched her interests. Letting her read what she wanted and not forcing books on her.

I think it's kind of like when you see a kid who is a really good athlete and you think "oh wow he must be really naturally talented." And yes, to some extent he is. But then you learn both his parents were college athletes and his mom still runs marathons and his dad played soccer professionally for a bit. It's nature and nurture. It does not just happen independently. Well reading works that way too.

I agree - there's almost always more to it than being naturally talented. My kids are strong readers because we have devoted enough time to get them to read early and cultivate a reading culture. It's the same with sports. The kids who appear to be "natural" athletes often play a lot of sports with their parents from a young age, and it all adds up over time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former Elementary School Librarian here. The easiest thing any parent can do for their child is to simply read bedtime stories. Honestly. Start early and nurture a love to hear stories. Eventually, they will want to read on their own.
Parents who send their children to school and who do not promote education or reading at home will get what they get.
Reading a few short picture books at the end of the day is a simple way to bond with your child.

Agree with this.

We really prioritized reading with our kid and she reads. We are also readers.

If we just left it to the school, she would have learned how to read but have little interest in it. Most of her friends barely read and the ones that do have a strong preference for graphic novels. Whereas DD will read a graphic novel now and then but she likes reading text. But reading comes very easily to her. She never struggled and reads well above grade level. I think some of that is innate (and the good fortune of no learning disorder). But some of it was the example we set -- reading to her, reading with her, reading on our own around her. Talking about books, taking her to the library and bookstores, etc. Helping her find books that matched her interests. Letting her read what she wanted and not forcing books on her.

I think it's kind of like when you see a kid who is a really good athlete and you think "oh wow he must be really naturally talented." And yes, to some extent he is. But then you learn both his parents were college athletes and his mom still runs marathons and his dad played soccer professionally for a bit. It's nature and nurture. It does not just happen independently. Well reading works that way too.

I agree - there's almost always more to it than being naturally talented. My kids are strong readers because we have devoted enough time to get them to read early and cultivate a reading culture. It's the same with sports. The kids who appear to be "natural" athletes often play a lot of sports with their parents from a young age, and it all adds up over time.

I don't agree at all. You can't train someone into being a gifted athlete. They need to start off being the right size, have the temperament to put in hard work, natural talent, and then the rest is the effort.

[Anonymous]

I don't read or write well. I have done well in life without these two skills. Being good at math and money have made up for it.
My kid dislikes reading and writing even though he is not bad at them.
We will be fine. There's more to education than reading and writing. I studied 7 languages and received a great 1-12 math education.
I'm all for math. Most kid will learn to read by 12th grade. They will not know basic math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't read or write well. I have done well in life without these two skills. Being good at math and money have made up for it.
My kid dislikes reading and writing even though he is not bad at them.
We will be fine. There's more to education than reading and writing. I studied 7 languages and received a great 1-12 math education.
I'm all for math. Most kid will learn to read by 12th grade. They will not know basic math.

I want both for my kid. My spouse and I are both skilled readers and writers, and we work in math-heavy fields (he's an engineer, I'm a statistician). I view them as equally important.

IME, people who read well and read a lot tend to do better professionally and socially because strong reading skills enable you to learn about virtually any subject at any age. As an adult, I've had to become well versed in a diverse range of fields in order to succeed professionally and socially, and reading was central to that. I can talk to a Hollywood screen writer, and politician, an investment banker, a military lifer, or a school teacher and be able to converse intelligently about their work. It is because I'm well and widely read. I don't know how else you would get that kind of knowledge.

Also I see in my own child how being well read expands her vocabulary and understanding of other subjects, including math. Reading is how she was first introduced to certain mathematical principles, which gave her a leg up when she took advanced math in high school and already had some background in those areas, just from having greater familiarity.

It's not an either/or. It's both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never have I been so glad to be the "weird" parent that allows almost zero screen time. My second grader loves to read, begs to go to the library, and reads increasingly complex books. I hear the other parents in my neighborhood fret over their kids' lack of reading skills.

We do the same. Almost zero screens. Very strong reader who reads for fun.

Same here. I also set up multiple reading areas all around the house to make it easy and pleasant to read.

Living room couches with bookshelves, dedicated library room with table and chairs, a small book bin in his bedroom for reading, a beanbag in the family room for reading. We also visit the library once or twice a month and he gets to borrow a tote bag full of books. He will literally sit in front of the tv on the beanbag and read for hours without once asking to watch tv.

I am so glad we prioritized books and reading, and am happy we haven’t had screen time fights so far. I am sure they are coming… I keep hearing ALL boys play video games once they hit double digits in age. He is 8. Classmates parents ask how I get him off his tablet. Simple: he doesn’t have one.

Learning and having broad knowledge of the world isn’t going to come from having a book in your hand all day. That’s just one of many activities kids can be involved in to help them be well rounded. Video games are not evil. Just keep the games age appropriate. If you look at successful guys in their 30s and 40s you will see the majority routinely played video games and many still play.

You do you. We will never have video games. No time for that. We have sooo many books to read.

Good luck to your kid socially. If he is a social kid in middle school and high school he will be playing video games.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't read or write well. I have done well in life without these two skills. Being good at math and money have made up for it.
My kid dislikes reading and writing even though he is not bad at them.
We will be fine. There's more to education than reading and writing. I studied 7 languages and received a great 1-12 math education.
I'm all for math. Most kid will learn to read by 12th grade. They will not know basic math.

I want both for my kid. My spouse and I are both skilled readers and writers, and we work in math-heavy fields (he's an engineer, I'm a statistician). I view them as equally important.

IME, people who read well and read a lot tend to do better professionally and socially because strong reading skills enable you to learn about virtually any subject at any age. As an adult, I've had to become well versed in a diverse range of fields in order to succeed professionally and socially, and reading was central to that. I can talk to a Hollywood screen writer, and politician, an investment banker, a military lifer, or a school teacher and be able to converse intelligently about their work. It is because I'm well and widely read. I don't know how else you would get that kind of knowledge.

Also I see in my own child how being well read expands her vocabulary and understanding of other subjects, including math. Reading is how she was first introduced to certain mathematical principles, which gave her a leg up when she took advanced math in high school and already had some background in those areas, just from having greater familiarity.

It's not an either/or. It's both.

It is both but people can get along in life with basic math skills. It’s harder if you’re reading is weak. It is better to be well read when making small talk with a variety of people but it’s more than that. You can have brilliant people who can’t handle social conversations. Or worse people who drone on about a subject without noticing they stopped listening. Social skills come into play a lot more than math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My neighbors's child is an incredibly strong reader and every time I ask the mom about it, she just shrugs and says "we got lucky." The rest of us in the neighborhood are all struggling to get our elementary age kids to read at all. Meanwhile, this kid reads way above grade level and even did the gospel reading--nearly flawlessly--in church a few weeks ago. Gotta be more than just luck.

Probably not your neighbor, but we say this only to be polite. Our DD reads several grades above grade level and reads chapter books for fun.

We put DD in a Montessori where they were taught letters very explicitly from age 2. By Fall of 3 yr old year, all kids were learning Phonics via explicit instruction. During that year, we taught our DD at home to read using Bob Books (learned about them from DCUM), but honestly her Montessori had all the kids reading well during the 4 yr old year. They all started K as readers with a solid Phonics foundation.

DP. Come back to us when your DC is in 6th grade then 9th grade. The reading stamina won't be there, even if they remain one of the few teens who read for pleasure.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a mess. That "Sold a Story" podcast was super interesting. However, it didn't address phones and the reluctance of Gen Z/young millennial parents to DO much with their kids.

What do the teachers DO all day with the kids? They are there 6-7 hours and can't read? Come on. If I'm supposed to do all the teaching then give up on the idea of public schools.

Just say you’re a lazy parent. It will save you some typing.

(and I’m a parent, not a teacher — just in case you were thinking of being predictable and calling me a “lazy teacher.” Thanks in advance).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No longer confined to printed page, in the modern era where more complex ideas can be explored through interactive multimedia.

Complex ideas can also be explored through reading.

One reason people like books better than adaptations is getting the interior thoughts of characters.

I got to know many people in both my family and DH’s better by reading old letters, diaries, ephemera, etc than through actual conversations with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never have I been so glad to be the "weird" parent that allows almost zero screen time. My second grader loves to read, begs to go to the library, and reads increasingly complex books. I hear the other parents in my neighborhood fret over their kids' lack of reading skills.

We do the same. Almost zero screens. Very strong reader who reads for fun.

Same here. I also set up multiple reading areas all around the house to make it easy and pleasant to read.

Living room couches with bookshelves, dedicated library room with table and chairs, a small book bin in his bedroom for reading, a beanbag in the family room for reading. We also visit the library once or twice a month and he gets to borrow a tote bag full of books. He will literally sit in front of the tv on the beanbag and read for hours without once asking to watch tv.

I am so glad we prioritized books and reading, and am happy we haven’t had screen time fights so far. I am sure they are coming… I keep hearing ALL boys play video games once they hit double digits in age. He is 8. Classmates parents ask how I get him off his tablet. Simple: he doesn’t have one.

Learning and having broad knowledge of the world isn’t going to come from having a book in your hand all day. That’s just one of many activities kids can be involved in to help them be well rounded. Video games are not evil. Just keep the games age appropriate. If you look at successful guys in their 30s and 40s you will see the majority routinely played video games and many still play.

You do you. We will never have video games. No time for that. We have sooo many books to read.

Good luck to your kid socially. If he is a social kid in middle school and high school he will be playing video games.

If more parents said no to video games and social media so their kids wouldn't "feel left out" then maybe our teens would be happier nowadays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it's screens that are slowing the kids down. I am a parent a kindergartener and this is the problem:

1. Kindergarten language arts curriculum is totally developmentally inappropriate. They expect the kids to be writing sentences and "journaling" three months into the school year. They don't learn to sound out letters, they learn "popcorn words" and "guessing the word from the picture".

Kindergarten academic expectations are on par with 2nd grade, without the teachers providing any of the preliteracy/scaffolding exercises to build up to reading such as phonics awareness or learning to write letters.

There is absolutely zero direct instruction in letter formation past like, the first two weeks of school. Remember as kids how we traced letters for weeks? My kid has no tracing exercises, just a blank square to write letters.

Without the muscle memory of letter formation, of course the kids are struggling to write! They need to know how to form the letters before they can even write a single word. Writing and reading are so linked, so if you can't do one well the other won't work, either.

Of course the school uses the Columbia University Sold a Story method to teach writing and reading. The school's test scores are abysmal and I get it, they are not teaching the kids to read, they are actually confusing them and hindering their progress towards literacy.

And all this at the age of 5, when many kids are not intellectually prepared to do reading and writing work. They aren't doing any fun experiential learning like "collect leaves" "observe a caterpillar become a butterfly" "grow seeds". Just endless disconnected worksheets and sitting still and turnign school into a grind of disjointed "learning." It's all so sad and disheartening as a parent.

Hope you don't mock homeschoolers...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a mess. That "Sold a Story" podcast was super interesting. However, it didn't address phones and the reluctance of Gen Z/young millennial parents to DO much with their kids.

What do the teachers DO all day with the kids? They are there 6-7 hours and can't read? Come on. If I'm supposed to do all the teaching then give up on the idea of public schools.

Just say you’re a lazy parent. It will save you some typing.

(and I’m a parent, not a teacher — just in case you were thinking of being predictable and calling me a “lazy teacher.” Thanks in advance).

Nice try. But I certainly don’t send my kids to public schools to learn nothing and be babysat all day. This is on those schools and teachers.