Reading: Still essential, but a lost art

To the Times:

I made a bet with my staff that I would give any of the 15 students scheduled that day a crisp new $20 bill if any of them could pull a library card out of their wallets. Not one single student put a twenty into his or her pocket.

The results surprised several of my staff members, but they didn’t surprise me one bit. I didn’t need to read a recent study done by a renowned educational foundation that revealed that two-thirds of this nation’s public school children are not reading on grade level. There are a ton of reasons behind this frightening finding.

Kids, by the way, aren’t seeing too much reading taking place among their parents either. A nation with declining literacy is in deep (stuff).

One of my grandchildren asked me one day at the shore while he was vacationing with us why he often sees me with a book before my weakening eyes. I didn’t mince any words with the little guy either. I read to acquire a sense of power, almost a self-defensive habit. Reading enlightens me; it broadens me; it empowers me. I often re-read the classics that I was once forced to read as a student. I often turn to my favorite poets simply to marvel at how they can say so much with so

few words. Poetry is the dessert I reward myself after the heavy stuff I read to try to continue to keep my mind and brain firing.

Another reason why those findings didn’t surprise me is the fact that fewer parents are seeking private tutorial help for their children in reading. Many are waiting, sometimes too late, to turn to us for help when SAT and ACT results in reading are hindering college acceptance options for big Johnny.