A Surprise Wish
Teens secretly want to read more. That’s the thought that popped into my mind as I watched a class of 12th-grade AP Lit students reading silently during our recent Book Tasting event. It was the December homestretch, when students could see the upcoming break on the horizon. They were restless. They wanted to get assignments done quickly. As they walked into the library to sample books for their independent reading project, their feet dragged. Fast forward fifteen minutes to the book tasting activity and the mood had shifted. Spread out across library tables, individual students sat with books in their hands. They were relaxed; engaged; quiet. They were reading.
It’s common knowledge that most teenagers today are over programmed. Sports; tutors; social media; research papers; parties; art portfolios; community service. Their schedules reflect society’s call to do more, be involved, and achieve at all costs. This harmful global directive leaves little time for teenagers to reflect. Gone are the days of riding bikes or daydreaming. The pressure to keep up is apparent in the anxious voices of my high school students as they sit in the library discussing tests and projects.
Letting Go
When I incorporate reading into a library lesson, the energy changes. It’s as if something has been given back to these stressed out mini adults. For once in their day, nothing is expected of them. They don’t feel the urge to scroll through Tik Tok or Instagram, figuring out who is where, doing what. They allow themselves to get lost in time. For a short while, they’re walking the moors of Yorkshire; working on a Native American reservation; strolling the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Whether I’m working with the senior English classes to help students choose a book they may be able to use for the free response question on the AP exam, or collaborating with the 11th-grade teachers on a nonfiction reading initiative, I see sparks of curiosity. It’s inspiring.
Just Read
Observing the students as they read, I’m reminded of the benefits of Sustained Silent Reading. SSR is a concept introduced in the 1960s by Lyman C. Hunt. Originally U (Uninterrupted) SSR, its main idea was to “develop students who not only can read but will read” (Berglund & Johns). When I re-entered the workforce as a high school English teacher in 2015, I noticed that Sustained Silent Reading was still accepted as a positive way to increase literary efficacy. I used it often in the next two years when I took over as leave replacements for English teachers. It worked. I watched as students became more confident readers with each passing week.
The Times They Are A-Changin
By the time I became a librarian in 2017, I noticed a shift in pedagogy. Many educators cited the 2000 National Reading Panel study which concluded that “given the evidence that exists, the Panel cannot conclude that schools should adopt programs to encourage more reading if the intended goal is to improve reading achievement” (“National Reading Panel”). When studies measure reading based on standardized test scores and grades, they don’t tell the full story. Even I, as an avid young reader, didn’t ace reading comprehension tests. The power of reading transcends statistics. There is no assessment for reading flow, empathy, or expanding of minds. For one of my first assignments when I was working toward my MLS, I researched reading motivation among teens. I learned about strategies to help focus them. I examined clever ways to lure teens into reading. I found lists of dynamic reading material. After eight years as a practicing librarian, though, I realize that there is no substitute for the actual act of reading.
Keep at It
Whether playing soccer, learning the violin, or coding, the more you do it the better you get at it. Reading is no different. All students want to feel self-reliant in their endeavors. If they’re threatened by tasks, they’re less likely to attempt them. Even though we know that failure leads to more success and better growth, as this study from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management showed, students have often been given the wrong messages implying that they need to be perfect. Because of this, they don’t take risks. For many of them, reading an entire book is a risk. They’re worried they’ll be embarrassed if they don’t understand it. They think they’ll feel inadequate if they struggle to get through a chapter.
Back to Basics with a Book in Hand
My anecdotal evidence may not hold up during a large data analysis. Nevertheless, I’m convinced. Sustained Silent Reading is one of the best ways to get teenagers excited about and proficient in reading. Especially when we want them to read for pleasure. As a librarian who sees classes sporadically, I don’t have the power to put a rigorous SSR schedule in place. My hope is that teachers of all subjects begin implementing this worthy activity. Maybe, going back to the basics can reignite the joy of reading and the endless possibilities literature can inspire.
Works Cited
Berglund, Roberta L., and Jerry L. Johns. “A Primer on Uninterrupted Sustained Silent
Reading.” The Reading Teacher 36, no. 6 (1983): 534–39.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/20198269.
National Reading Panel. (2000). Fluency. In Teaching children to read: An evidence-based
assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading
instruction (NIH Pub. No. 00-4754). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development. Retrieved
fromhttps://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/nrp/report
Wang, Y., Jones, B.F. & Wang, D. Early-career setback and future career impact. Nat Commun 10, 4331 (2019).
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