Literary Laziness or Recreational Reading?

Why do teachers love bugging students about the importance of reading outside of school? And, why is reading necessary when someone can learn a book in less than 2 minutes with Chat GPT? While students may lie and say they read outside of school, it is hard to tell whether or not students genuinely like it. 

Senior Leah Tabakh has been reading for her entire life and has become a strong reader, saying, “Reading allows me to learn about other people and learn about myself at the same time in a way that I can’t find anyone else. Reading lets me learn about new people, different cultures, different countries, other experiences that I wouldn’t get to learn about any other way.” Tabakh’s interest in reading encouraged her to become the president of the Book Club, which meets at the beginning and end of every month. “Book club has been at the School for a long time. I joined in freshman year back in Covid, and I have been running it for the past two years.” Although Tabakh understands how busy school can get, she follows a daily routine to find time to read: “I take the bus to school because it’s convenient, and I read on the bus. 30 minutes there and 30 minutes back, which gives me an hour a day.” Tabakh encourages readers to start reading daily, but she understands how hectic a schedule can get, saying, “Reading can enrich someone’s life so much that I wish everyone read, but at the end of the day, if you’re busy, you’re busy. It can only enrich your life if you enjoy doing it.”

While Tabakh uses reading to find joy, sophomore Luke Silva does not read in his free time. Yet, he values reading as an important key to success. Silva wishes he read more since he views it as an “important activity that can stimulate productivity inside your brain…I don’t [read] because I partake in many academic activities that take up my free time.”

So why does reading even matter? While 44.2% of students don’t read daily based on a poll conducted in the School, it can help improve writing and analytical skills. While reading, the brain notes words it does not know, hypothesizes what they could mean, and stores them for later use, all within a couple of seconds. Considering the academic rigor of 11th-grade English classes, improving reading skills can majorly help students with school, outside extracurriculars, and even getting into college. So now and then, try to take a 5-minute break from Instagram or Snapchat, open a book, and see the marvelous worlds and twisting narratives awaiting you.