Behold! The powers that be at Facebook heard my pleas, and introduced Facebook Lite. Go to lite.facebook.com to try it out. It's essentially a stripped down version of facebook; no apps, no chat, just status updates and notifications. It's pretty slick. While you're surfing the 'net, I encourage you to go to the blogspot website for this blog (if you're not there already): pulasblog.blogspot.com. It's better than the facebook group in that it is geared towards a blog (who would have thought?), unlike the group. It lets me do some fun things like insert pictures.
That said, let's get to the real topic of this post. You all know I'm an avid reader. I read fiction, non-fiction, self-improvement, business, and most things in between (except Twilight). I think that reading makes me a more well-rounded person more capable of somehow contributing to society. I suspect this may stem from my innate desire to achieve something “great” within my lifetime.
I'm gonna toss some thought provoking statistics out there (taken from readfaster.com). Some 50% of American adults can't read an eighth grade level book. I can't comprehend this. Admittedly, I work in a science field, which tends to lend itself to reading (I've read more research papers in my last three months at FTT than I care to admit). Not only that, but I regularly have to communicate my work to others in both conversations and presentations.
To be honest, I think this all stems from childhood. Not only did I read as a kid (I can remember reading a story to my kindergarten class that my mom had helped me learn), but I was read to. Another stat for you: In 1999, 53 % of children aged 3 to 5 were read to daily by a family member. Gone are the bedtime stories to help go to sleep. Now there are Spongebobs and Fairly Odd Parents to lull kids to sleep on the couch. “So much easier!” says the parent. Get off your ass and read to your kids.
I'm willing to bet that not only will you bond with them, they will enjoy reading more in the future. While I understand that there are many cases of ADD and ADHD that are legitimate, I truly think the majority of these come from laziness on the part of the parents. Ever think that if you had made your kid sit down and listen to you read (or read themselves), maybe they'd be better off than being bombarded with flashing colors and noises from a box?
Don't get me wrong- I love TV. I watch far too much of it, admittedly. But, like swearing, smoking, and drinking, it's something that is best consumed later in life and in moderation.
I'd like to do a little impromptu poll. Write either in the facebook group of comment on the blog site when the last time you read for pleasure was. Include what you were reading. I'll compile them and give you crazy cats the results a week of so later.
I thought I'd include a little section on what I'm into lately:
What I'm watching: True Blood season 1
I'm not convinced it's good yet- stay tuned.
What I'm Reading: Dragons of Summer's Flame (Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman)
I needed a break from the thought provoking and relatively dry reading of American Prometheus.
What I'm listening to: Lily Allen
You might know her song “Smile.” Good british poppy stuff (I have eclectic -and weird- tastes)
I've been a reader since childhood, too. I remember how proud I was as a first grader when I got put in the "advanced readers" group. As of now, I don't get as much reading done as I would like. It's much more common for me to get sucked into exploring the internet. But I try. I'm currently well into "Bright Lights, Big Ass". This is the second in a series of three memoirs by Jen Lancaster, who is bitter, sarcastic, and really good at appealing to my sense of humor.
ReplyDeleteI remember a while ago while I was at work (at Target) I did a double take when I saw a kid sitting in his mom's cart with a book in his hands. It made me smile. It's much more common to see running, screaming, and tearing the store apart. I don't remember things being that way when we were kids... Is my memory flawed or have things really changed that much in just one generation?
While that is a very dramatic example, I think there has been a bit of a paradigm shift over the last generation. It seems to me that for a given age, kids are less mature these days. Fuck I feel old.
ReplyDeleteWhatever. You're still 11 to me. :)
ReplyDeleteANYWAY. I also read. I read a lot. I made reading into my career (Teaching Literature and writing to high schoolers. gasp). I therefore know that reading is hard. It takes effort, and if you do not have a good foundation in reading, you will not read. Parents aren't always to blame. Teachers need to come up to the plate. With that said:
The last book I read for pleasure just went back to the library yesterday and it was Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs. Not teacher lounge material if I do say so myself.