Reading has been a fundamental part of education and school since first grade, when students began to learn to read; however, it’s not a daily or weekly habit for most of our staff. A majority of our staff would rather do anything else than read, and we know we are not alone.
When asked, only 30.5 percent of the PHS Media Department reads for fun. Of the remaining 69.5 percent, 52.5 percent read only when necessary for school. The rest of our staff claims that they do not read for pleasure or educational purposes.
Time and interest were the biggest obstacles for our staff. When asked, 52.5 percent of staff members state they simply do not have enough time and are too busy to read. In addition to finding time, 72.9 percent of our staff also struggle to find something they are interested in reading, or are not interested in reading anything in general.
Even with these setbacks, almost half of our staff have still managed to read books for entertainment. 49 percent estimated they have read 1-25 books for fun throughout their lives, 11.9 percent estimated they have read 25-50, and 15.3 percent claimed to have read more than 50. This leaves the remaining 23.7 percent of our staff who have never read a book for fun.
Reading is an important life skill and is necessary. Even if people choose not to read for fun, it is helpful to be able to read, comprehend, and understand.
When the survey for this editorial was sent to our staff, around 20 members incorrectly answered a question because they did not read the instructions.
Ironically, 18 out of the 20 staff members claimed not to enjoy reading and did not read for fun.
This is one small example of how reading is necessary even if it is not enjoyable, and the more you read, the less you miss out on.
Both school and careers require reading, even if it’s as small as reading instructions. If the instructions are not read, the job or assignment will likely
be done incorrectly. This will lead to consequences like bad grades or even being fired.
But how do we make more people value reading? How can we change a culture of social media and screens into one where we all become better readers?
One way would be get everyone to the library. Maybe if reluctant readers spent time with Librarian Rachel Miller, they would find a way in to reading. At Throop, library time was a much-loved special, so everyone knows how to access a library; they just need to start here at PHS.
If someone is trying to get into reading, staff members who enjoy reading recommend finding books that sound interesting and finding time to read
without distractions, so you can fully concentrate and enjoy the book.
