The subject of boys reading is close to my heart, primarily because as a youngster coming up, I watched my brother’s painful struggles learning to read. Dad sat up with him every night - Dad read one page, my brother another and so on. I empathised with my brother. Books and the joy of reading formed the background to my childhood experience. It seemed such a shame to me that he missed out.
With my own three boys, teaching them to read, and sharing the love of reading with them has been a top priority.
I remember hearing a story about Frana Cardno,
mayor of Southland District Council in New Zealand. When Frana first
lobbied for a library in her area, apparently the response from the “mainly macho community where most decisions were made over a beer in the Working Men’s Club”, was this classic line: “What do you need books for?”
I like to think we've come a long way since the '70's but then I am an optimist.
The research shows we still have a way to go. In a post by Tricia Lowther, recently, Lowther wrote, The 2012 report by
the Boys Reading Commission, (BRC), compiled by the National Literacy Trust,
reports that at age seven, there’s a gender gap of 7 percentage points in the
proportion of pupils reaching the expected level in reading, and the numbers
rise slightly with age.
So, how do we get boys to read? And feel good about it? In
recent times, some folks in marketing and advertising have tried to
encourage boys by coming up with the idea to label books for ‘boys’ or ‘girls’.
But I’m not sure segregating titles would make any difference. It's not getting to the root of the problem.
In the ensuing backlash to the gender marketing, The Let
Books Be Books campaign asks children’s publishers to take the ‘Boys’ and
‘Girls’ labels off books. Reminder: when we say "Books for
boys," we set a default as books and reading are girl activities. We
reinforce social expectations. As journalist and children’s author Bel Mooney said in
a radio discussion on marketing books as ‘boys’ or ‘girls’; “The imagination does not have
a gender.”
When
my middle son, Samuel, was born with Down Syndrome, my brother-in-law said that the
British Research Association had come out with findings that suggested the more
you stimulated a baby’s senses from 0-3 years old, the greater the child’s
intelligence. I gathered a big box full of different
sensory devices for Sam: shells, feathers, pumice, stones, wood, and metal. I
engaged him in water play, sandpits, gardening, painting, playdough, clay
modelling, listening to music, and watching educational videos. I consistently worked to stimulate his senses.
Most of my energy though went into reading to him. Sam and I visited the
library every week, when I’d allow him free reign to choose as many books
as he liked (up to the limit of 30). Then I would read the enormous pile to him
every single day until we went back to the library for a new pile. When my
brother-in-law met Sam again, at eleven months old, my BIL said, “He’s changed.
The light has come on in his eyes.” And he was right.
To my delight,
Sam has become an avid reader. He was first in his class to read independently,
and despite there being three age levels in his room, Sam is the best
reader in class.
What do you need books for? How about to switch on the
light in a disabled boy’s eyes, a singular event that has altered the course of
his education for the better, therefore his whole life.
“There clearly is a myth about boys and
reading as so many people seem to think that the gender gap in reading is
bigger than it is, but research shows that the number one factor that
determines your reading ability is how often your parents read out loud to you
and the number of books in your house.” ~ Jennifer Dyer
What do we need books for? What's the best way to encourage boys to read? What do you think?
Keep reading!
Till next time,
Yvette K. Carol
Wow Yvette Sam is a reading superstar thanks to you. Great post, fun coincidence we both covered this. Go Sam!
ReplyDeleteIt just goes to prove great minds really do think alike! ;-) ha ha. I thought you had some really good points on your blog too. Another key thing is not to force a boy to read. They resist vehemently for some reason! Thanks for stopping by, Catherine :-)
DeleteWhat a brat you are. Here I am wiping my eyes. Your kids have the best mom there is.
ReplyDeleteMy son got into to reading too, but first it was the love of stories. I started telling him stories about what his toys did while we slept or were away. One day we came home and poor GI Joe was naked in the hall. I suspected our dog ate his clothes and didn't put a scratch on him.
Weird? Weirder still was Toy Story coming out that same year. And the rest was history. :-)
~A
Aw, Anna, I wish Blogger had a "like" button too, the way Wordpress has! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteHa ha, love the story about GI Joe. Somebody somewhere tuned in, I'm sure. :-)
What a great idea to start your son's interest in stories that way. Pure imagination, there's nothing better for inspiring others. Keep up the good work.
:-)
Hi Yvette,
ReplyDeleteI think you've got a great attitude towards this. A bad way would be to force classics or what's popular even though they weren't interested. My reading addiction didn't start untilI discovered Enid Blyton in primary school, for instance :)
Exactly Pinar! They say that the secret is to find that first book that really fits your interests and then even struggling readers can be away.
DeleteI also read all Blyton's books avidly. I remember when I was 12, our teacher asked us in class, "What's an example of a book series?" I replied, "Enid Blyton, Secret Seven!" I remember she looked down her nose at me, and said, "Typical!" That moment stayed with me through the years because I didn't understand why she seemed to scorn the author - I'd answered correctly so why was my answer somehow inferior? It seemed unfair. It wasn't until I hit adulthood that I realized there was some negative attitudes towards Enid Blyton's fiction.
Good on you, Momma. I see so many parents of disabled kids who believe their kids cannot learn or read. It's very sad. So fantastic that Sam loves to read. Christopher does too. But he still loves for me to read to him. It's so important for them to learn to read. Reading opens up so much! I love what you said about switching the light on in a disabled boy's eyes. That's it exactly! I'm so proud to call you friend. You ROCK, woman!!
ReplyDeleteHey, Robyn, thanks for dropping by! In the case of our special children, the most important factor in our kids being able to read is that we as the caregivers never give up. They look to us even more than regular kids do, to show the way, to shine the light, and to stay the course. It'll take a lot longer of course, and it's a big challenge - I'm not saying it isn't hard - but if we keep at it, they will get there eventually. If the parents give up, then the prognosis can be bleak. I read somewhere once in an interview with a famous person, that whether kids become readers or not depends on the attitude of the parents. If you put reading in the same category as everything else we teach special kids - the old 'one step forward, two steps back' rule - then you know ahead of time that it will take longer than with a regular child. But you also know that when they do start to read for themselves, it'll be hard-won and therefore that much more rewarding!
DeleteSam likes his time alone to absorb his books and he also really enjoys having stories read to him too (as is the case with your Christopher). I think that's quite natural for your son to feel that way. And the fact that you home-school your family is testament to the fact that you too have put in the hard yards, and you've succeeded! You rock too, my friend!!