A culture of reading

Every Friday, a couple of high school students come to the house to talk about writing with me. This is a result of one mother calling out of the blue to lament the fact that she felt her daughters were not very competent at writing. I commiserated and tried to be as encouraging as possible, not knowing in the beginning why exactly I was in this phone conversation.

Eventually, we would come to the heart of the matter when she asked me if I could provide writing classes for her daughters and a couple of young girls. It seemed like a good idea, so I said yes. It was a good idea because, for one, I naturally like to talk about writing. My mandate was also not very academic, which meant I could design a program that should be instructive, but less rigid. It sounded exciting to teach high school girls again. I was excited to be touched by their youth and eagerness! There is a different joy in teaching the incredibly young. How wonderful to have the opportunity to have some kind of hand in their mentoring.

And so they came for their first Friday last week. Five girls entered my home in their high school uniform. One was a freshman, two were sophomores and two were juniors, so basically their age range was 14-16. I certainly hope they don’t read this, but I have to say I was nervous to meet them, in spite of the fact that I was on home ground. I have not been with anyone this young, in a classroom at that, in 15 years. I am not at all attuned to their culture, so I stumbled the first few minutes.

First, we did the much-dreaded Introduce Yourself portion. I found out interesting things, such as these young ladies’ love of sports and anything Hollywood. I also found out that soirees are still done in high school (the horrors!). I also discovered that they do like to write, but that in their opinion, writing did not like them. When I asked them what it is they like to write, their answer was "Oh, things that we like to do." Note to me, they are very young.

And then we proceeded to talk about their perceptions and ideas about writing. We had a grand time arguing over the properties of writing. We most argued about the place of inspiration and passion in writing. I sought to convince them that good writing is not always propelled by the heart. They differed with me on this. They were certain that one could write better if one were in love, or joyful, or in some other strong emotion. I attacked with other arguments, such as, what happens then if you need to write and you aren’t in love? Must one go out and find a crush then to ensure a better paper? Several of the girls’ heads turned away, so I knew we were at an impasse. I clarified to them that love, joy and passion are wonderful things. When we are young, we live for them and by them. But as we grow up, we realize that in order to write, we need writing skills – that means a way of doing things, an arsenal of methods that will help fashion an essay or a paper. We ended this portion of the class promising to fight more about this in the weeks to come.

One thing we all did agree on was the importance of reading to writing. This was something I didn’t need to convince them of. They knew for certain that they would be better writers if they were active, regular readers. I asked them what their reading materials were. They were embarrassed to answer at first. I laughed and said that it was okay to be honest with me and that I would do my best to not be judgmental. I don’t remember the titles, but I remember that they called their reading material, lame, shallow and silly. I wondered quietly then why they continued reading such material if they knew the materials were not good? Was the pull of high school reading culture part of the cause of their reading lists?

I was overjoyed when they, on their own, suggested that they needed to have an action plan for reading. As an educator, I know that changes can only happen when the learner is ready to accept what must be done to change. One concrete suggestion from one of them was to begin reading the newspapers. That was a wonderful suggestion! I suggested reading Time and Newsweek magazines as well the way my father taught me how to read it – which is to begin from the back and work towards the front. My father’s theory was that the back contained "lighter" material, such as the arts, entertainment, science and human-interest stories. Beginning this way was not too daunting therefore and could be easily sustained. I underlined the idea though that for them to keep reading anything, they should enjoy it. Experiencing pleasure is a big part of being human, so for an activity to be reinforced, they should be enjoying. For me, one of the silliest ways to enjoy reading, apart from knowing what I like to read, is creating ambience when I read. I’m super maarte this way. I have a comfy chair that you can sink into with lots of fluffy pillows. I light a candle and sometimes have tea for added effect!

While with my new students, I thought of my old students in college and it dawned on me that reading is no longer a natural activity among the young – at least not in the way I remembered it to be in my youth. One reason for this would be the rise of mass entertainment. During my time, television, which had only four channels, started mid-morning and ended in the evening. As it is, entertainment via television is available 24 hours due to cable. Most shows were designed not for children (aside from Sesame Street and The Electric Company and a few other shows like Elektra Woman and Dyna Girl!), but for grown-ups. Today, even kiddie shows have their own designated channel. In a culture where entertainment was not via the idiot box, we were forced to find it in the garden, in games or arts and crafts, in siblings and in ourselves. A big feature of my young life was our large library in the basement of our home. Books abounded and were accessible to us at all times. My parents, although we were not very wealthy, took it upon themselves to provide us with varied materials for reading. They also took the time to read with us and tell us stories. It was a natural progression then to see reading as part of our identity. (So much so that although we live separately from each other, my brothers and sisters and I all have libraries in our homes. They do not serve as décor.)

Because that’s ultimately what a parent should know – the earlier you make reading a part of their lives, the greater the probability they will continue to read. What this entails is setting up a culture of reading in your home. What that means is that it has to be a practice; it must have a place in your family habits. Its root word is cult so there is a dimension of it being done with someone else in the community with almost religious fervor. What it ultimately means is that it is a value recognized and so it is continually enriched. Think of what you mean when you say a person is cultured. You think of a person who practices (or cultivates) activities that elevate the mind. (You can study what your family culture is by reflecting on what you practice together habitually.) In short, placing books around the house is only a first step. They must see their parents engage in reading as well because culture is passed from elders. Your children must find pleasure in the activity, understanding that the reading is the reward in itself. The pleasure can be derived in many ways – in knowing that they are progressing in their reading; in being able to spend time with their parents and being like their parents; in learning about stories that are funny and life altering; in being given the opportunity to see new worlds within themselves, without ever having to physically leave; in activating their appreciation of what it means to be human in their capacity to empathize with fictional characters.

I will see my girls again this Friday. We have decided to read To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee together. It is a good book to begin with, I believe. We are all slightly scared. I myself feel like I’m in high school again.

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You may reach me at Rica.Santos@gmail.com.