by Janet Hughes

Created on: June 03, 2008   Last Updated: October 15, 2010

The Importance of Reading

My youngest brother and I are about 9 years apart in age. So while I am now entering my 30's he is still experiencing the excitement of his early 20's and all that graduating from college brings with it. I was always a high-ranking student during my academic career, while my brother has struggled along the way. In a recent conversation I believe I have found the key to our vastly different experiences with school.

He arrived on the train, hopped in the car, and with gushing excitement proudly told me about his latest adventure ... to a bookstore to buy his first book! I was thrilled for him, proud of how proud he was, and a little surprised that it took him until the age of 21 to find a book of interest. His next statement mirrored this sentiment, "See it's not that I can't read, I just didn't know what to read!". I couldn't help but laugh out loud. It had never crossed my mind that he was incapable of reading, I just assumed he had other priorities. But since then I have been wondering what school would have been like for him had he found something he was interested in reading about earlier in life?

It seems that a love for reading is tied directly to the ability to express ones self in writing. Through the exploration of various writing styles and topics a student begins to get a feel for their own written voice. This helps immeasurably when writing papers and completing assignments, which ultimately has an impact upon their academic success. Let's face it, not many final exams are oral presentations.

So if reading and writing and academic performance are all so intertwined, why is reading for the pleasure of it so much of an after thought, or non thought, for many parents, teachers and students alike? Everyone knows that reading to a child when they are young helps them to develop language skills. That it can speed the development of speech and help to create an interest in learning. So at what point do we stop worrying about whether kids are reading? Is it assumed by parents that when they are reading for school and learning (math textbooks, and science materials, Shakespeare and the like) that that is all they need? Do teachers assume that pleasure reading is being encouraged by parents at home? When students are having difficulty in school how seriously is their ability to read, and their interest in it, being considered?

I don't have the answers to these questions. But I believe the pursuit of reading for its self is a key to the education process and the development of critical thinking skills. That it is a foundational aspect of being able to take in information from any source and reflect upon what you have learned. And that this evaluative and responsive thinking skill is vital to our career success later in life.

I read constantly when I was a child. I can't even remember when I bought my first book. I think I have donated entire collections of teen series to local charities over the years. And it didn't stop there. As I have grown and matured, so too have my tastes in literature. I have become more interested in non-fiction over the years, but still love the escape promised and delivered by a good murder mystery! I believe that it is my personal love for reading that allows me to express my thoughts here in writing, and to communicate with people in many different ways each and every day.

I only hope that as time goes along my younger brother will learn to love reading for its own sake as well, and reap the rewards that it can bring.

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