Getting children to read important at home and school

Students hitting the books this fall may find they're hitting more books than in years past.

The New York State Regents and the State Education Department recently released a new core curriculum guide for English Language Arts that strongly encourages students to read 25 books a year.

While some fear that total will be difficult for students since many are balancing school work with extracurricular activities as well as jobs, Catholic educators are pleased by the move.

Reading lead

According to Thomas Fitzgerald, assistant superintendent of schools for the Albany Diocese, Catholic schools are not required to participate in the initiative, but those who do might find that the guidelines are not any different from what they're already doing.

"Reading is a tradition that we have always had, and it will continue," he said. "Catholic schools do the best job in the area of language arts. We spend a great deal of time with writing, reading and speaking."

Most Catholic schools, he continued, have a reading list. "We're free to say, for some youngsters, it may be better to read 15 books and thoroughly discuss them, while other youngsters should read 40."

Catholic school educators, Dr. Fitzgerald said, can look at the individual needs of each student and set a reading plan tailored to him or her.

Challenge

Reading 25 books a year can be done, said Thomas Kane, principal of Cohoes Catholic School and former English department chair at Albany's Bishop Maginn High School, "but it will be a challenge for some students."

The 25 books, as defined by the state, include textbooks, short stories, poetry anthologies, as well as electronic journals.

"The traditional definition has been expanded," Mr. Kane noted. Even so, "it will be a challenge for some. It will be more work. Twenty-five is pushing the limit."

Paul O'Brien, English department chair at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady, agreed, noting: "It's a goal that should be there. It's a goal to shoot for. Twenty-five is high, but so is the moon."

Demands on time

Dr. O'Brien is realistic about all of the demands on the time of today's students. Pupils at ND-BG juggle schoolwork, jobs, sports and required service projects. With all of those commitments, it can be difficult for them to find time to read. Many use their free time for watching television and films.

"I'd like them to read more, but I am realistic," he said.

During the school year, Dr. O'Brien's students read 8 to 15 books a year just for English class. In addition, students in Honors English read several short stories and poems, and do a major research project that requires reading books other than those assigned in class.

Parental role

For younger students, encouragement to read starts in the home, said Donna Palczak, librarian at St. Mary's Institute in Amsterdam.

"Putting reading into the schedule [at home] will be a challenge," she said. "Parents need to turn off the TV but not make it a punishment. I wish more parents would set aside reading time. In our house, the TV didn't go on until 9 p.m."

Mr. Kane agreed that parents play an important role in encouraging children to read. "The best way [to encourage a child to read] is to begin at an early age," Mr. Kane said. "Read to the child; expose them to books. As the child grows older, example is the best encouragement. If the parent reads, the child will read."

School role

There are also many things schools can do to encourage students to read. At St. Mary's, Mrs. Palczak said, "there's no such thing as down-time. They're required to take out a book" when they have finished an assignment early.

Also, many companies offer prizes that encourage students to read a certain number of books, she said, adding that "children are prize-oriented."

Mr. Kane has also heard of schools having success with incentive programs. Incentives that seem to work with children are pizza parties or having the opportunity to throw a pie in the face of a teacher if they read a certain number of books. "If it gets them reading, it's probably beneficial," he said.

(08-27-98) [[In-content Ad]]