What I Have Seen

As a member of the Teacher Education Program at Bridgewater College, I have had multiple clinical experiences in middle schools and high schools in the surrounding counties. In those placements, I have seen firsthand how students interact with reading. I have witnessed many types of relationships that students have with reading.

Of course, there are numerous students who have been avid readers for most of their lives and continue to love reading. These students always have new books with them and are always looking for opportunities to read during the school day. They live for moments of silent, sustained reading during school, and are even eager to have literature studies in class. 

However, a love for reading is not a reality for everyone. Many students view reading as a chore or as something they are required to do in order to pass a class. Not all students see reading as fun, and rather, view it as a form of torture. Students who do not have a positive opinion of reading usually stall when faced with a reading task at school. I have seen students ask to go to the bathroom, the nurse, or the library in order to avoid reading. When unable to physically escape from the task, students with negative opinions of reading will often stare at their book, with eyes glazed over, faking their reading. These students are so resistant to reading that they will do anything to avoid it. 

With numerous differing opinions of reading, teachers have to find ways to foster positive relationships with reading in some students, while also challenging other students to expand their reading horizon. Creating lessons and establishing classroom cultures that appeal to the reading habits of all students can be challenging, but it is crucial in helping students develop the skill.