I have occasionally heard teachers and parents fret about the huge emphasis placed on reading in the schools: might we not run the risk of spoiling reading for pleasure by placing so much importance on reading for academics?
I was relatively neutral on this question until this week, when I’ve spent significant time substituting for the librarian in our elementary school. The difference in attitudes between the lower and higher grades is staggering. The kindergartners, for example, are thrilled and awed to be in the library and take permission to check out one book as a rare privilege. The fifth graders, by contrast, couldn’t care less: none of them can be bothered to even glance at the stacks, much less check out a book.
I’m sure this is old news among school librarians, but it’s news to me (since thanks be to God both of my kids still read for pleasure) and it makes me sad.
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