I remember the exact day my daughter declared “reading is boring.” She was in first grade, I had just come home from work, exhausted and frustrated with the day I had. I walked into the living room and asked her if she’d started her homework yet.
“Reading is boring,” she said as if she were deliberately trying to break my heart. And she did.
“Reading is boring,” shout children in unison.
“Reading is useless,” yell children everywhere.
“Reading is stupid,” they cry, and parents are instantly overcome with anger and despair.
When my first grader announced she will no longer be a reader, I was temporarily at a loss. I know most parents (or is that just me?) are all too familiar with that helpless-outrage feeling, that feeling when your child realizes they can simply say no to what is asked of them. It’s a feeling of disbelief that quickly gives way to indignation and fury. So, when my daughter decided reading is no longer a thing she was going to do, all I could think of was, “But wait, we did everything right. We read to you every night since you were born. Books are so fun. How could this be? You’re my daughter. You should love reading.”
I’ve been teaching high school English for 7 years. I’ve tutored reading comprehension and writing to kids in 5th grade through sophomore year of…
