I never much liked reading books or stories. As far back as I can remember, reading was something I viewed as laborious and absent any sort of enjoyment. Sure, I’d read the Sunday comics or an article in a rock magazine – if it happened to be about a band I was interested in – but, otherwise, I had a certain contempt for reading any narrative of any considerable length.
I was forced to read in school, but I did it begrudgingly; only paying enough attention to get a passing grade. CliffsNotes and movies of the books I had to report on were my most reliable (short-cut) sources when it came to required reading. I once almost made a huge blunder on the spelling of a character’s name within the story, but, luckily, I spent an extra few minutes scanning the credits and realized my pending mistake. My teacher would’ve given me an ‘F’ for sure.
It wasn’t until much later in my life that I read anything for enjoyment and I still have a more difficult time with fiction than I do nonfiction. A fictional story has to really grab my attention and imagination for me to spend time reading it from beginning to end. The first fictional story I remember ever reading, voluntarily, from beginning to end was The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings trilogy. I probably didn’t do myself any favors by choosing to read something so lengthy, written during a time before my birth by an English writer. But, despite the odd use of words, the extended story line and periodic introduction of childlike songs, of which you had no idea the melodies, the stories were fantastical and held my interest, throughout.
I much more enjoy reading books and manuals on self-help and self-improvement; be it for: health, finances, relationships or any number of other topics. I like the occasional technical manual as well, if the topic interests me. Oddly enough, one type of reading I enjoy most are articles and books about the lesser known aspects of history that are not taught in the public school system. It’s pretty amazing what has been “overlooked” when it comes to teaching American children about history. I would encourage everyone to seek out and learn more about the many things that have been, intentionally, omitted from what was taught to you as a child and even in universities. It’s rather astounding.
I believe this is one aspect of where the education system in America is failing. Now, I’m not knocking teachers here. Most teachers are doing a wonderful job with the resources they’re given and are not allowed to stray too far from the preapproved curriculum required by the government. And that’s really what I’m getting at. We send our children to government-led institutions for the majority of the day, forcing them all to learn (memorize), without question, whatever it is that the government decrees they should learn. It doesn’t matter the interests or abilities of the child, they are expected to all learn and conform to the same information as everyone else.
Recess is slowly going away, along with physical education, art, music, home economics and vocational education. It seems that individuality and creativity is being discouraged, yet, at the same time, tolerance and acceptance is the social standard. There is a confusing and frustration-inducing message wrapped up in all of this. It’s no wonder so many young adults these days are discouraged and unsure of what to do with their lives. From early on in their childhood, they were all taught to be homogenous and obedient and if they ever “disobey” the rules, they justly deserve to be punished. They have spent an inordinate amount of time attending school(s) where they learned (memorized) many things that they couldn’t care less about. They have spent money (gone into extreme debt) early on in their lives to pay for many classes that have nothing, whatsoever, to do with their chosen major. Only to find themselves thrown into an unwelcoming job market where, often times, their careers also have nothing to do with the degree they obtained, but are still paying for.
Like I said, I enjoy reading now, but I read what I enjoy reading. Had I been encouraged to read more of what interested me when I was younger, I probably would’ve been a better student and found a way to thrive instead of finding a way to simply get by. Sure, there are those things from my schooldays that I wish I had paid more attention to, but that’s me looking at it from a completely different perspective. You can’t expect a child to see things as an adult does, and, we shouldn’t expect otherwise.
All children are different. They have different backgrounds, different family dynamics and different hopes, dreams, interests, talents, skills and desires. Why do we expect them all to learn and behave exactly the same way when it comes to education? We’re trying to force the many various-shaped pegs into the same round hole; they never truly fit. Sure, they can be forced through, but not without causing some level of harm. Something needs to be done with the education system; all the way through the universities. They should allow for an environment based on the encouragement of the individual (talents and skills) and not simply rammed through an assembly line of cookie-cutter learning (memorization).
At least, that’s my opinion.
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