Screen Zombies?

Okay, I admit it...Mark Bauerlein's The Dumbest Generation freaked me out.  I don't agree with all of it, particularly his shrill tone, and I'm not alone in expressing some doubts about his arguments.  Others have challenged his polemic, and I find much of what they have to say in response to the book compelling.

I won't go into detail, partly because I don't want to go off on a rant; partly because my emerging tech class will be having a conversation about the book soon; and partly because I'm still processing my reactions.  But suffice it to say that I had really mixed feelings about Bauerlein's arguments.

But one thing that struck me - and with which I agree - is the disturbing trend away from reading.  I'm not a Luddite.  I log my fair share of screen time.  I'm on the computer a LOT.  I love tv.  I watch dvd's all the time.  But I also read.

And whatever else Bauerlein got wrong, I think he's correct that for the most part online reading is little more than skimming.  It isn't the same as reading fiction,  poetry, or essays.  It doesn't build the same vocabulary, critical thinking skills, or linguistic mastery. 

As I pondered my reaction to Bauerlein's book, I found myself remembering my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Lanier.  She read to us every day, after lunch.  Over the course of the year, we worked our way through several of the Little House on the Prairie books.  Her approach was lovely in its simplicity:  she read; we listened. 

I had parents who read to me at night (although by 5th grade I was reading to myself), but a lot of my classmates probably didn't.  For so many kids, reading aloud is a stress-inducing struggle; reading silently is boring.  But being read to - it's a pleasure.  The class was never so silent and well-behaved as during reading time. 

I think there's a lot to be said for reading to kids well into the middle grades ... and even in high school.  Reading aloud allows us to model good reading - where the pauses go; where the emphasis belongs; how to tell when a passage is suspenseful or exciting or funny.  It also helps students experience the joy of the written page.  We can't just throw a book list at students and expect them to embrace it unless they get a taste of how enjoyable reading can be.

If we send the message that screens (tv, computers, cell phones) are fun and easy, but reading is boring and hard, we will undermine our students and prevent them from developing intellectually.  If we create a pleasant, communal space and fill it with reading we will help our students find joy and value in old-fashioned paper and ink.  Which, ironically, will foster the very skills (critical thinking, long attention span, good listening) our students need to be successful and productive in the future.