Reading for Life

One would be hard-pressed to find anyone who denied the importance of having solid reading skills. But the ability to decipher letters and sounds in order to read the directions and questions on a test is not the end goal of learning to read. There are benefits above and beyond basic classroom functions for the sound reader, benefits which can be secured more readily with the help and encouragement of parent involvement.

Modern educators are expected to cater to the multiple intelligences and varying learning styles of their students. This is good and right, for a good teacher will meet a student where they are. However, this is not an alternative to aquiring solid reading skills. The ability to pick up a book on a given subject, read and comprehend it, and then apply the information gained frees the student from the limitations of learning only in the presence of an instructor. When your young one is grown, busy with family and career, he can satisfy any new curiosity for himself by simply picking up a book or reading an article. Medical research indicates that reading on a regular basis may even help prevent or slow the onset of dementia later in life.

Despite the well recognized benefits of reading, teachers are only human and must do their best with a dozen or more students of varying abilities. Enter: the parents. You, as the parent, can spark a love of reading in your son or daughter and aid them in developing their own reading skills. The age-old and much loved tradition of reading a bedtime story is a great place to start. Dr. Seuss, Winnie the Pooh, and any number of other children's books are available at the local library and bookstore. As your children get older, have them read to you for practice. When you finish a book or a chapter, ask your child what happened in the story to see how well they understand what they read. When they are old enough, you may even recommend books and offer suggestions for other resources to teach them how to satisfy their curiosity. About the time I was in middle school, many of the questions I asked my parents were answered with, "Try looking it up in the dictionary," or, "Read this book, and then we'll discuss it." My parents gave me my very own Webster's Collegiate Dictionary at the tender age of 9, and over time it has become very natural to turn to the written word to search out answers for myself. Thus, learning has not been limited to sitting in a classroom with a teacher presenting the information.

This is the kind of educational independence that reading affords. Reading is not just for school or for homework. Reading is for life.