My column runs every Wednesday in the local section and on Thursdays and Fridays in the local South Orange County papers. Let me know what you think of my column this week and post comments (you can leave your name or post anonymously). Mention the topic.
1 comment:
Dear Ms. Veravanich,
I thank you for the responses in your recent column about helping kids become interested in reading. I could not help but notice, however, that although all of your book suggestions were wonderful ones, they all fit one genre: Classic Western Fiction. As this is the tradition grew up on, it is easy to suggest these books off the top of our head. However, I work with middle school youth who often have no interest in reading, and I find it is because they have not been exposed to a wide enough variety of books to find their special interest.
I suggest when parents take their children to the library, be sure to visit all sections! Some kids are turned on by non-fiction, others poetry, others Latin or African authors. Perhaps the student who is so interested in transformers would prefer books on science and technology. I had a student who had no interest in books until he started reading books from his Mexican heritage. I personally did not enjoy reading until well after college, when I discovered the joy of autobiographies (no one helped me notice that the only books I did like in school was the "Little House" books or, later, Diary of Anne Frank).
Please remind your readers that there is something out there for everyone--and not everyone is initially turned on by the "classics." And that is okay: Expose the students to a wide variety of books (and even magazines), and who knows where it may lead. The goal is just get reading!
Thank you again for a very helpful column,
Val Parker
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POWER 4 Youth
www.power4youth.org
(562) 435-2352
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