Loose Ends: Reading is fun

Reading is fun. A seemingly self-explanatory statement often evokes an odd response from parents, teachers, and experts in the field of education.
“You think so?”
“It is not supposed to be really enjoyable, it is a learning experience after all.”
“I hated it when I was a kid, so has it changed that much from when I was little?”
Look closer at the teaching staff of an elementary school and listen to the grown-ups who had those teachers when they were little and you’ll find the ones that are most often remembered fondly are the ones who conveyed their own love of reading and made it fun for others. That doesn’t discount that the business of teaching reading along with other subjects is a serious vocation and it requires knowledge and expertise to change non-readers into readers.
It is strange that the statement about reading being an enjoyable experience rather than a tedious, mundane, mandatory task is so often questioned in educational circles. If someone were to compile a list of skills required to be successful in life, reading would be at the top. Without mastery of this skill, it is tough to function well in our society.
Teaching children day-in, day-out requires dedication, fortitude, and above all a sense of humor.
Working with elementary classroom librarians for many years, I found the years I spent working with the local elementary librarian, Kay Bivens, a pleasure. She made sure that all of the students’ experiences in the library were fun, first and foremost, because developing the habit of interacting with and enjoying the available learning materials builds the foundation for reading as a lifetime skill. Her unique way of presenting the materials, usually with her storytelling skills, guaranteed that even the most uninterested listener found himself drawn into the experience.