Sarah Sharp
School Librarian, Wimbledon High School
World Book Day is an annual celebration of stories reminding us of the joy of books or, for others, the panic of attempting to produce a last-minute book–based fancy dress outfit! It can be easy to forget that its purpose is to encourage and re-engage children with reading, something that is more vital than ever.
The latest National Literacy Trust’s annual survey presents us with a snapshot of attitudes towards reading and the results are clear. Reading for pleasure is on the decline. Only 1 in 3 children and young people surveyed stated that they enjoy reading, the lowest result in twenty-years of collecting data. And this is not just an issue for children and young people. A similar survey showed the same trend in adults.
There is a myriad of issues at play here but, reading certainly has a great deal of competition for the time and energy it requires.
Our recent Strong Body Strong Mind fortnight had a depth over noise focus, encouraging us all to engage with reading and resist the urge for those moments of instant gratification that digital interactions promise and so often deliver. Reading is integral to the discipline of taking time to sit with an idea, to focus, be patient, activities that are increasingly challenging given our ever-growing reliance on the digital world.
Have we disconnected from reading? Have we lost the ability, the patience to sit with words and ideas and really reflect and consider our own responses? This is not a choice of technology over books, instead a call for balance and an understanding that we risk losing valuable skills if we don’t find time and space for reading.
We must also be realistic about our expectation of readers. If we think back to our own journey with reading, I’m sure we would all admit that those tumultuous teenage years brought a disconnection that may have taken some time and effort to rediscover in later years. And this is part of the issue, our experiences with reading are so individual that there is no one–size–fits–all answer to engagement.
So, how do we reconnect our young people with reading, given all the competition for their attention? I passed the following advice on to students in a recent assembly:
You need to find your own path
As we navigate through the challenges of school life, relationships with reading will inevitably shift with a greater focus placed on reading for a particular purpose, essays, projects and revising for future exams. It is no surprise that reading for pleasure takes a back seat at this stage. We need to reclaim reading for ourselves alongside reading for a particular goal or outcome. Stepping away from the textbooks for a little while to read for pleasure, to relax, restore, take some time to decompress is just as important for determining future success.
Like any relationship, the one we have with reading will ebb and flow over the course of our lifetime. It will change with your tastes and your situation at any given time but it will require compromise and commitment throughout.
You must be fully present and engaged
Reading is not a passive experience; it is a two-way conversation between you and the author, and this is where some of the hard work comes in, it requires effort. Reading needs time, time that is we are happy to spend on other distractions. And I am not immune! We could all benefit from shutting down the devices and rebuilding our reading stamina.
Reading makes you and the world around you a better place
Reading should be an activity of exploration; it is a powerful act. Whether it is through fiction or non-fiction, books offer a safe space to understand and make sense of difficult or uncomfortable situations in a measured way. If we have forgotten what it is to stop and connect to a book, have we also forgotten what it is to connect with each other? It feels like we have a lack of empathy in the world currently. The best way to build empathy is to read. Arming ourselves with facts and understanding, hearing as many varied voices and points of view as possible is perhaps the most powerful thing we can do right now.
You are fuelling your mind but also your soul when it comes to reading
Too much of our information gathering is curated, the algorithm is dictating choices that are safe and familiar. Where is the opportunity for stumbling across a new interest or discovering a route of research that takes your enquiry into a whole new direction? Find your truth through great literature and learning. Work out who are you, what you are passionate about, what moves you and what moves you to action.
By staying engaged or re-engaging with reading you are being open to others and to new ways of thinking. And that sounds like a very Wimbledon High School legacy to carry our girls forward.