No Love for Reading

[elizam]

Sad....what is the point of pushing our kids to read so young if none of them want to read once they can???????????????

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...31#post9851031

[ChristaN]

I do think that schools push reading before many kids are developmentally ready for it, but I do disagree with the notion you stated that "gifted" (you put it in quotes) kids all hate to read. To me that reads to say that these kids aren't really "gifted," but rather hothoused. I do know some hothoused kids. Some of them are burned out and having emotional problems. Some of them seem to be handling the pressure well (not that it is a good thing).

However, the truly gifted kids I know, for the most part, don't hate to read. Reading above grade level is not a definate sign that a child is gifted, though. Gifted is about innate differences in brain wiring and processing, not about high achievement.

Some kids do read very well, very young. Some of them want to read adult books about marine mammal anatomy at age 8. Most of them don't. Pushing everyone to be an above level reader is likely to lead to kids who have a bad attitude about reading. Denying that some children are different, though, and that some of those kids who are reading adult books as children are doing so due to an internal drive and interest in the topic does a disservice to those children. It views all advanced children as the product of an overly ambitious parent who is out for an ego-boost. That is not the case.

[karne]

Personally, I haven't seen all of the negatives about reading. I am incredibly grateful to those teaching reading because I view it as such a gift to be able to read and read well. My child struggled with reading, and was one who was in a school philosophy that adhered to "late" reading--so many missed opportunites and missed time. I would rather my childen read than not read---doesn't mean they can't go out and play for hours as well.

[Lingmom]

I wouldn't be concerned that this is about early reading or not. The statistics are being presented to you in a certain way, but I wouldn't take the whole thing as a reason to teach reading at a certain age or not... I mean, for instance -- look how they spin this:

Americans are reading less well – reading scores continue to worsen, especially among teenagers and young males. By contrast, the average reading score of 9-year-olds has improved.

So the latest group of readers have higher scores?

Also, these researchers / reporters are saying that there is a causal relationship between poor reading and a decline in civic, social and economic implication. It's a lot messier and a lot more complicated than that. I would say that children coming from those "personally professionally and socially disadvantaged" families are more likely to have poor reading skills than higher income children. Sure, poor reading may perpetuate it, but the cause is much bigger than reading scores.

The declines in reading have civic, social, and economic implications – Advanced readers accrue personal, professional, and social advantages. Deficient readers run higher risks of failure in all three areas.

And this goes back to it again... being a good reader won't make you more likely to engage in positive civic activities. But being financially well-off and coming from a family who values education probably will make you both a good reader and likely to engage in positive civic activities. After all, volunteering, attending sports and cultural events and exercising are often tied up in money and time that isn't accessible to low-income families.

Literary readers are more likely than non-readers to engage in positive civic and individual activities – such as volunteering, attending sports or cultural events, and exercising.