Absolutely related to the post below
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on my way to med school!
THAT IS NOT WHAT ENGLISH TEACHERS SHOULD BE SAYING: Books are too long and boring, say English teachers.
Nowadays, many students rarely read full-length novels, reports AP’s Sharon Lurye. Teachers assign excerpts, “a concession to perceptions of shorter attention spans, pressure to prepare for standardized tests and a sense that short-form content will prepare students for the modern, digital world.”
In a 2022 statement, the National Council of Teachers of English declared: “The time has come to decenter book reading and essay-writing as the pinnacles of English language arts education.” Instead, teachers are urged to focus on “media literacy” and short texts that students feel are “relevant.”
Deep reading builds “critical thinking skills, background knowledge and, most of all, empathy,” said UCLA neuroscientist Maryanne Wolf told Lurye. “We must give our young an opportunity to understand who others are, not through little snapshots, but through immersion into the lives and thoughts and feelings of others,” Wolf said.
“Only 14% of young teens say they read for fun daily, compared with 27% in 2012,” according to federal data, Lurye reports. So, if students aren’t asked to read books for school, most will not read at all.
Longer attention spans are made, not born — and English teachers are supposed to help make them. Instead, they’re making excuses.
