Aseloka,
I appreciate you for bringing up this topic. It's so important to discuss, think on and even address within homes and schools. I too had a strong love of books as a child, and even proclaimed at 5, when the teacher asked the standard question, "what do you want to be when you grow up", i answered a doctor and author. Knowing i hated needles, the doctor thing quickly went out the window. In my elementary schools I always loved the annual D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) and R.I.F. (Reading is Fundamental) programs. It was an opportunity to get free books and see what my friends were reading and take on books and others I probably wouldn't have. I was a fan of The Babysitter's Club and Goosebumps and another book series I can't recall.
With this generation of youth, I am saddened because many of them don't have an interest in reading It's all about their social media accounts and video games. While many parents will start their children off with educational games thanks to Nabi and Leapfrog, how far does that go? I'm thankful for my goddaughter who at four is very intelligent and has a love of books. The same can be said for my cousin who i've seen have issues with Math (like me) but excel and have a love for reading from the time she learned to read to her present age of 12. There are teachers within the school systems who do still care about the education students receive. They don't care about the test scores they care about a child's understanding, comprehension and ability to read on or above their grade level and not below. Too many students suffer from teachers who only care about paychecks and keeping their job by teaching standardized tests. When those kids become teenagers who become adults, they see firsthand the downfall of not receiving a substantial education.
And what the school isn't instilling or supporting, parents and family members alike need to. When i graduated high school someone gave me a gift card to Barnes and Nobles and to this day I'll ask for BN or Amazon gift cards over anything. I want a book. I want time to read a book and write one.Nowadays kids and people in general are all about instant gratification. Cue e-readers and Google. How many kids can walk into a library and locate a book they need? They don't even know what the card catalog looks like. I understand reading and english aren't going to be everybody's strong suite but don't kill literacy altogether. Some kids need something to invest their time and energy into. If not books, let it be the arts, technology, like robotics, something other than texting and posting pics on Instagram.
I could go on but I shant. In short, i applaud any and everyone who takes the time to instill old past times in today's youth, especially something so important as a book. it can be a physical book, they can have an extensive Kindle library, i'm all for it. One of the reasons our blog discussions are so strong is because of what we grew up with. technology may advance it but it doesn't mean we've lost it.
#longlivebooks
