BLOG: 6

Yes, readicide ( the death of enjoyment of books) is a problem at schools because kids don’t want to read boring, complicated books that stress them out over the summer. It’s summer. Of course no one wants to be forced into doing any type of schoolwork at any point in summer.  Especially not an assignment where you must do a written report on a terrible book that was 547 pages. It numbs your brain to think of such complicated meanings of books that adults probably aren’t fully know about. 

Teachers should already know, when they assign a book project to do over summer, 9 times outta 10 the students will wait till the last couple days to even crack the 1^st page open. Once the 1^st page is open…some students may even make it almost halfway through the book before they start skimming look up on the rest Spark notes. When you make reading a chore, no one will enjoy it. When you make reading a privilege, like elementary teachers used to do, (for ex: everyone be good today or no read aloud from Mrs. Lewis), reading for entertainment, and giving you the option to read whatever you want for the recommended time of ½-1 hr. each night kids will enjoy reading more. That’s how you combat readicide.

 I’m, not saying we should not teach classics at school, I’m just saying teachers need to find a way to appeal to young adult/ teen interests too, and yes teachers should add more genre fiction to the curriculum and meet us half way so more kids can fall in love with more books and read more important stuff with real world problems , instead of hating the books.  Green eggs and ham-try new things, you might like it. Magic tree house- its nice to have a good imagination and travel around the world. Barbara Parks- Junie B. Jones was a wonderful character that taught many people that being a kid can be fun. Obviously these themes are too childish for young adults now. But it was short books like these with a simple understandable message that made kids fall in love with books in the first place.