In our modern society, teens put down their books in favor of scrolling on TikTok, Snapchat, and other various forms of social media. Some never even hold a book simply because they don’t want to. Is this bad, or is this just the new normal?
Ross High School English teacher Mrs. Hamblin stated, “When I was a kid, I lived in the country and so I had a 30-minute bus ride. Every single day to school and from school. We didn’t have cell phones, we didn’t have pagers, we didn’t have any of that stuff. All I did was read. So I always had someone to talk to any time I went into some sort of new environment.”
Reading can be used for different purposes, such as how Hamblin used reading in her childhood as emotional support. Books can be used as a way to escape the real world and explore a new world where anything is possible. It not only positively affect teens’ mental health, but their physical health as well.
Ross High School English Teacher, Mrs. Johnson-Owen stated that free reading can, “Give students the opportunity to increase their reading skills, so they can become better readers. Which, as we know, is a skill that is important for life beyond the classroom.”
Most students will tell you that they read in class, but not what they choose to read. Henceforth why there is a huge difference between reading for pleasure and reading to pass a class or get an A on an exam.
For example, Hamblin stated, “The independent reading that [students] are doing is usually because it is something that [they] like. And if it is something that [the students] like then it is probably because [they] experienced something like that.” Then she added, “If [students] are reading about things [they] have experienced [themselves] then [they] might be able to identify characters and their problems, so that might make [them] feel like [they’re] not by [themselves].”
When asked, “In your opinion, how long should teens take time to read independently each day?” Johnson-Owen replied, “Anywhere from half an hour to an hour.”
Johnson-Owen stated, “I know that a lot of students are busy with school work and they got reading to do from school work, then they have extracurriculars or other activities. So it can be hard to fit that in, but I think just 30 minutes would be a good amount of time.”
When teens read something that they enjoy, they get more invested and try harder to understand what it is that they are reading. Not only are they expanding their vocabulary and reading abilities, but they are also learning more about whatever it is that they are reading or learning more about themselves. So, let’s encourage more teens to read for themselves and enjoy the words around them.
