Reading for Pleasure (and the Benefits of the Class)

In my last post I explained kind of how the Reading for Pleasure class operated on a day-to-day basis, but today I want to talk about the more intellectual side of it.

The amazing woman who taught the class at my high school worked very hard to make a case for it, to prove to legislation that it's an important class to have. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't understand how important a class like this can be, and they just assume that it'll become a blow-off class. The thing is, though, that if you get the right people teaching it, Reading for Pleasure will never be a blow-off.

Everyone knows (or should know) that reading helps your brain function better. Reading helps you think better, be more creative, and retain more information. I've been reading since before I can remember, so obviously I enjoy it, but the amazing thing about Reading for Pleasure is that students who come into the class hating everything to do with reading leave at the end of the semester loving it as much as someone who grew up with it like I did. My teacher made us take a survey at the beginning and end of the semester, in which we said how we felt about reading (the scale was LOVE IT!, love it, like it, it's okay, don't like it, hate it, and HATE IT!). She would then compile the data from all of the surveys from all of her classes and put sticky notes on one of her white boards so we could see how her students felt about reading. She would leave the sticky notes up the entire semester, and at the end when we took the survey again, she would move the sticky notes. It was amazing to see that every single semester, so many students went from HATING reading to LOVING it!

I think one of the reason this class works is the students are able to choose what they want to read, and they're not at the mercy of "majority rules" or the teacher making the final decision. Those situations have their place, I'm sure, but in this class, the student calls the shots on what they read. When a student gets to read what they want, they end up exploring new genres and authors they never thought they would like (I will admit that part of this comes from the endless and fantastic recommendations of the teacher). When a student enjoys what they're reading, they get sucked into it. They become more invested in it. They can't put it down. And when a student is that enthusiastic about a book, they pay more attention to the little details. When they pay more attention to the little details, they remember more.

Over the course of the semester, students make a habit of this, and that carries over into other things they read. Reading what you want to read can help you pay better attention to things you have to read. This will lead to students retaining more information in other classes.

Some people assume that reading fiction is a waste of time, that you aren't gaining any real knowledge from it, but that's simply not true. When you read fiction, you're able to step away from reality for a bit and explore another world. This can allow you to rest your thoughts while keeping your brain active. You also train your brain to think creatively and develop your own writing.

I know I don't have any revered studies to cite, or statistics to quote, but I'm speaking from my own personal experience and the experiences of people I know. And honestly, I think experience speaks louder than some impersonal study done at some faraway university. Just my opinion.

Imagine what it would be like if all high schools offered Reading for Pleasure, if all of these students discovered the freedom there is in reading for enjoyment and not just for homework, and think about what it would be like when all of these students did better in all of their other classes as a result! Wouldn't it be fantastic?

Love Always,

Kristin