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| Buch : German word for Book, Image taken in a German 'Book Cafe' |
When I was in elementary school I hated reading. I only ever read what was assigned to me. Audio books are what got me hooked onto stories. I would check them out from the library and listen to them starting in late elementary school. It was the Golden Compass from Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' story that really got me hooked. There are still plenty of stories that I don't enjoy, but when I find the right book I really enjoy reading (reading stories or listening to them, I enjoy both). During school it's hard to find the time, but I often read for about 30 minutes before I go to bed and it will help me relax before going to bed.
If I were a teacher, I would let students brainstorm a variety of topics they were interested in, and try to help them find books that matched these topics. This way they would start to associate reading with things they love, instead of things they hate or are bored by.
I love your idea for students! I think it's so important for students to develop a LOVE for stories and reading before they're constantly being forced to read. Otherwise, they can develop an aversion to it and lose the opportunity to fall in love with it. Personally, I've always been a reader and loved it. I enjoy a fantastic story, but I'm also the type of person who doesn't need a book to be the best thing I've ever read for me to want to read it. I just enjoy reading. My fiance is more like you, I think. He's never really enjoyed reading, and only read a few books that really interested him. (He read the first two Divergent books with me, then gave up on the last one.) He recently started reading Harry Potter (one of my absolute favorites) as a birthday surprise for me, and he's actually really loving it! So I understand that for some people, you just really have to love what you're reading to understand how great reading can be...and I hope you continue to discover books that interest you! Also, reading before bed is the best! It's so much better than staring at computer or phone screen!
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