Teens@Random

Do you realize that the majority of Americans cannot read above a sixth grade reading level?  Do you know that level has actually shown signs of going down in recent years?  That means the problem is getting worse, not better.  What is happening in our schools; what are they teaching us for the 6 years after sixth grade?  To me, this is just not acceptable; something should be done.  Reading is knowledge; it's power.  People should not be deprived of this wondrous gift.  No one wants to read a book that is frustrating to understand.  I believe everyone should leave school with the ability to read at the grade level that they completed.

What do you think about this?  This is a site for people who are obviously passionate about literacy. ( We all love to read)  Do you think the statistics are accurate?  I know there are people who can't believe this, and of course, you have to consider that the statistics also include people who never graduated high school and who have special needs.  Still, I think it is a shame the average is so low.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.  What do you think could be done to fix it?

Posted Jun 12, 2009, 12:30:29 AM

My mom is a teacher and so I know for a fact that the statistics are accurate. Sadly, people don't see the point in sitting down and reading when they can just watch television or see movies or surf the internet.

Posted Jun 12, 2009, 05:04:39 PM

I am positive those statistics are true. iThese statistics don't make me angry but confuses me since I can't understand why the level could possibly be so low. Saieeda made a great point what are they teaching us for the 6 years after sixth grade? It's part our schools faults but mostly our owns.Most schools don't care about the students which is a huge problem. But students should also take some responsibility for their own education. You can't wait for someone to teach you, you have to teach yourself also. I think one of my favorite quotes which was said by Mark Twain says it all. Don't let schooling interfere with your education.

Posted Jun 12, 2009, 09:22:10 PM

I love that quote too.  When I get a classroom of my own, it is definitely going on the wall.

It'd be great if students took some responsiblity on thier own, but I just don't think most of them are motivated enough.  To be fair, some of them don't know they need to seek out any other information or knowledge than what schools give them.  One of the little girls I tutor just couldn't grasp the idea of doing research or reading a book when it wasn't required for school; she seriously believed that those were school things, and she LOVED to read.  It just never occured to her to read anything more than what the school gave her.  I think it is important that parents, teachers, and especially friends show others that reading can be fun.  The question then is how?

Last Modified Jun 13, 2009, 12:07:45 AM

I think that some schools are also underfunded, overcrowded without the resources or the passion to teach kids to read.  If teachers have no motivation kids won't either. 
It's an important topic to talk about, even if you are not a reader being illeterate will hurt you with work, collage, school, etc etc

Posted Jun 14, 2009, 01:41:51 PM

the problem, and the reason that the literacy rate is going down, is that alot of people who have power, dont want to have their stuff messed with. They wanted to build an overflow elementary school in my neighborhood, but they couldnt because there wasnt any room, so they wanted to build it behind this other school, etc. but some people got really mad, becasue they thought that the school would be disruptive to their neighborhood, so they sued like hundreds of thousands of dollars. I mean, how can the state afford to have schoold for people to go to, if no one will let them build schools? then they have no money to pay teachers, so then no one can afford to live as a teacher. If more of the state budget was used for schools, than billion dollar nuclear weapons, etc. then people would have resources, and enough teachers to learn something.

Posted Jun 15, 2009, 01:57:02 PM

I think that a big part of this is that schools ignore the basics, if they took more time to teach things like grammar, we would be doing much better in this area.  And if they actually picked books for us to read that we would be interested in, kids would think reading would be more fun.  I had to read a book called Cry, The Beloved Country, and I don't think that I can ever read another classic for fear that it would be as bad as this one.

Posted Jun 25, 2009, 05:00:17 PM

I agree with cosmisdustbella.  So many schools make kids read books that they are not at all interested in and if they are not someone who would pick up a book and read on their own, then all the books they read in school gives reading in general a bad name.  They think all books are boring, and as someone said earlier, tv and internet are so readily available.  So if schools could read more interesting books and maybe not so many of the "classics"  that a lot of people think are boring, it might help kids to see how cool reading really is.  I hope this made sense.  I am good at senseless rambling :)
P.S.  I am sad to hear that Cry, the beloved country is not such a great book :( I have to read it next year.

Last Modified Jun 25, 2009, 05:11:42 PM

Yes, the basics are definitely something schools need to focus on.  They just seem to skip right over grammar, or at least fail to demonstrate it accurately.  (English teachers should be able to write and speak with correct grammar otherwise they need to find another subject to teach.)

If the teachers aren't  educated enough or motivated to teach then they should really look into a different career.  Azalea is right; unmotivated teachers can't motivate kids.  There should be some way to weed those teachers out, but then would there be enough teachers left?  I think yes, but what about you guys?

Posted Jun 30, 2009, 03:02:01 PM

Reading and knowlage is power... that is very true. Who in the world does not want you to have power? pretty much everyone that has it! lol

Posted Jun 30, 2009, 11:20:04 PM

But is not the job of our teachers to bestow that power on their students?  That's the whole reason I want to be a teacher anyway; I want to give kids the power/knowledge they need to succeed.  That's why we have teachers in  the first place.

Posted Jul 03, 2009, 05:52:36 PM

We should want to help better the world, one life at a time. It does make a difference, you help that child and they help someone also. The cycle keeps going.

Posted Jul 09, 2009, 04:23:36 PM

Several years ago my parents began homeschooling me and my siblings, and my mom got a book called Deschooling Our Lives.  The other day when me and her were talking, she happened to mention it, and so I went and got it out of the attic.  I started reading it and it was a really good look at our schooling system and how it may not be as perfect as most people think.

Posted Jul 09, 2009, 06:48:20 PM

I think I've heard of that book, but I've never read it.  What is it about?  Who wrote it?  Maybe I'll check it out of our library if they have it. 

Has anyone ever heard of Unschooling?  It's a homeschooling theory that one of my mom's friends was very interested in for a while.  (When she finally did start hoeschooling her son though she ended up going with a classical approach to education.)  I've always wanted to talk to someone who had tried unschooling.  While it sounds great for most subjects, I kind of wonder how it work when it comes to teaching reading since there aren't really any formal lessons, at least not from what I understood.  I guess some kids might be able to "pick up" reading if they were exposed to it enough, but do you think the average child could do that?

Posted Jul 14, 2009, 06:50:17 PM

It is basically a bunch of essays and short stories I think, so there is no one author, but it was edited by Matt Hern.  It is about how teachers teach, like what techniques they use and the alternatives to regular schools.

I don't know what it is really, but it was mentioned in that book.

Posted Jul 14, 2009, 07:04:06 PM

I think that if kids are exposed to the right kind of books for them, they will be interested in reading.  Some kids may not like to read until they read a good mystery or romance or whatever they are interested in.

Posted Jul 14, 2009, 07:05:17 PM

Children usually aren't going to read books they don't like if they don't have to.  If a teacher can find that amazing book that grabs a kid powerfully enough, then I consider that a success becuase that child is going to start look for books; they're going to want to read more.  The more they read, the better they will get at reading.

Last Modified Jul 25, 2009, 02:19:01 AM

True, once a kid gets hooked, they will probably look for more.

Posted Jul 20, 2009, 06:52:22 PM

So what exactly is it that gets a kid hooked?  Is it the book?  If so, what about the book?  Do they just need to find something that is relevant to them?  That's what it was for me; I found a series with characters I could relate to.  What it the same for any of you or was it something else?

Posted Jul 25, 2009, 02:21:45 AM

i think it is more how they learn to read. if a teacher says "read 20 pages by tomorrow and youll have a quiz," the kid is gonna hate reading. but if instead, they teach kids to read in elementary school, by acting it out, or letting them choose a book, and then dress up like the main character, or something like that. I learned to read in this way( my school is pretty awesome) and i really got emotionally attatched to all the charachters. i sometimes act stuff out that i read, and i read aloud, and i get really into books i read! 

Posted Aug 07, 2009, 11:34:18 AM