Schooltastic

If your kids are young enough, they might still think you’re cool.  This makes it likely that they’ll try to emulate you.  How much do you read?  Do you ever read for pleasure?

In a recent post, I indicated the difficulty in getting kids to stick with good books that might happen to be long.  It’s easy for them to choose the instant gratification of electronic stimulus over a novel that would require a much greater effort before delivering a payoff. 

Years of teaching have taught me that many of my students will do things that I do, will seek out what I value.  This effect is multiplied when it comes to my own children.  So, if I want them to be readers, I should be one.  When I realized this, I thought, well, I read!  I read nearly two books a year, plus Bob Matthews. 

Then, I started to take a good, hard look at what my kids see me doing throughout the day.  Unfortunately, they saw me going to the computer an awful lot.  Sometimes, I had important, grown-up things to do.  Many times, well, I visited the Internet on less essential errands.

After years of making a conscious effort to spend less time on the internet and in front of the TV, and more time reading, I can say that I’m reading a lot more.  On weekend mornings, my kids see me with a book in my hand.  More than that, I’m enjoying reading a lot more.  Spending more time with books has had the effect on me that I’m always hoping it will have on my students and my children. 

Spending the time, putting in the effort to read a really good book is well worth it.