A few days ago I made the comment that I had managed to read 3 books in one day. That was a record for me because usually I could read one book in a day, but three had to be a record. A former student of mine, who is about to graduate from college with her teaching degree, shared that she had set herself a reading goal for the year and was halfway to completion. This makes complete since for this young woman because in middle school she always had a book in her hand.
I say this because reading is changing. Some are familiar with BookTok (ahem), and others only read if it is on a video game. I have no problem with video game reading because it was the incentive I used for my boys to read because I grew tired of constantly reading the instructions for them, but at the same time, we need to encourage them to read more.
An article at Psychology Today reiterates the benefits that we get from reading. The increase in empathy, improvement of mental health, and an improvement in social cognition are all benefits to reading. With mental health being at the forefront of concern for middle and high school students, the push to encourage reading in this age group is founded.
When I was struggling with my own mental health and anxiety issues, reading was one of the suggestions give to me as a part of my health plan. Turning off my phone and TV to focus on reading at least a chapter before bed was a great way to destress and unwind. My bad habit was overstimulation from electronic devices (TV included) and the inability to sleep due to focus on external stimuli I had no control over. Reading provided me a way to calm my anxiety and focus on something other than those things I had no control over.
At one time, my biggest argument for reading was telling my students how little they would earn than those classmates who read, but all it took was one student to rally against that and state they didn’t care. They’d rather live in poverty and on welfare than pick up a book. That was their exact words. It didn’t matter. But this was the same student who later came to me to share a book that changed their life. Most don’t realize that they need the messages in books. Not the messages that parents feel are indoctrinating their children. No. Instead they need the messages of hope, love, and the ability to overcome.
In college, my professor had me keep a reading journal. In this journal, I listed those books read and made a note as to what students would benefit from reading that particular book. There were books that I wouldn’t suggest due to the material and the fact that as a mother, I don’t think so, but I did find books that I felt my students who were struggling with identity or loss of a parent might find helpful. These are books that the students found helpful because of the improvement in their mental health that they didn’t know they received.
Connections are everything…
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