Students, teacher discuss why reading ‘sucks’

For School Library Journal, fifth-grade teacher Pernille Ripp relates that as one of her first lessons of the year, she asks her students how they feel about reading.

“While many of them share wonderful things about why they love books—memories of parents reading to them or of sneaking in a favorite novel after the lights were turned off—there is also usually one student brave enough to admit that, for him or her, reading is just not their thing.”

This year, Ripp said, she used the moment to kickstart a discussion. On posterboard, she wrote the heading, “Why Reading Sucks,” and asked students to list reasons.

During the resulting dialogue, Ripp was able to address her students’ misgivings: both about reading itself and expectations Ripp had for them.

Read more at http://www.slj.com/2013/12/opinion/soapbox/why-reading-sucks-talking-honestly-with-kids-might-make-them-more-passionate-readers/.