Afternoon Kindle-Parents!
So…instead of posting a children’s book review today I decided to take a different route and broach a subject I think every parent should know (and understand.)
A tid-bit you may not know about me:
On top of teaching art…I volunteer at my son’s school library several times a month.
I love books and I adore having the distinct opportunity to introduce a younger audience to the books I adored as a child. To watch their faces light up as their imagination takes flight. (This is also one of the reasons I take the time to do “Kids Corner” on Sundays.)
Anyways, while running around town the other day, I happened to bump into the mother of a child I see fairly often (at the library) and she brought up the third grade “20 minutes a day” required reading assignment. My first thought (as she ranted about this particular assignment being a test grade) was WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? It’s 20 freaking minutes!! Chances are they spend more time than that arguing about going to bed at night. 20 minutes is NOT THAT LONG! But…I refrained and asked her why she was so…offended?
Her response: “We don’t have time!”
WHAT??? When did *Gina’s 20 minute reading assignment become a WE assignment. “WE don’t have time??”
After more prodding (which I’ll spare you from because my internal dialogue was out of hand.) I got to the root of the problem. Mom and Dad don’t like to read. So they think forcing *Gina to read is hypocritical.
This is the point in the conversation when I whipped out my “You don’t have to love reading for Gina to love reading. Also…it is statistically proven that for every missed 20 minutes your child’s ability to read and comprehend plummets. Make time…even if it’s in the car on the way to her soccer games. I promise you...it will pay off later.”
Of course her answer was to shrug and say “Um, yeah..I guess.” (I honestly didn’t expect anything different) but it made me realize something. There are some parents out there that honestly have no idea what this 20 minutes a day is worth in the long run. So… I searched around and found this…a graphic I think explains it better than I ever could.
Now, I don’t want to lecture YOU about reading or sharing that love of reading with your child. Chances are…if you found this blog you are as obsessed with reading as I am. But…I think the information is useful to have on the back burner in case you are ever confronted with the same situation that I was above.
Reading is CONTAGIOUS. Pass it on!
