Yesterday, I was speaking with my Sister-In-Law about the Drop-Everything-And-Read program at her high school. She explained how each week there is a specific time where they stop everything they are doing and read for a 1/2 hour. At first this sounded like a great idea. It would be able to give students to catch up on class reading that they might have not had time to finish the night before, or read a few chapters out of their new Twilight books. I love the idea of giving students the opportunity to read whatever they want for once. But, in her high school, that is not the case. The students are very limited on what they can and can't read during this time. She mentioned that you cannot read any magazines, classroom textbooks, newspapers, comics, picture books or use a Kindles. I was very upset and confused on why the schools would place these restrictions and say they are not appropriate. Their are hundreds of magazines that span every single type of hobby or industry that are great to learn from. Many have very high reading levels and are geared towards an educated person. I don't see how the school would be upset if a kid wanted to read about cars or the engineering field. And same with the comic books. There are more than just the Calvin and Hobs comic strips out on the market. Graphic novels can be just as long and hard to read as any "regular" novel. If the program is in place to teach children to enjoy reading, then why are the schools not letting them read what they enjoy? It seems completely backwards on what the program was originally in place for.
My school system also participated in the Drop Everything and Read program and we had the same restrictions. The magazines and graphic novels were available for us to check out of our school library, however, when it came time to read for that thirty minutes we were not allowed to read those materials. I completely agree with you when you say the true meaning of this program is kind of unknown. No wonder our students do not want to read! Their "appropriate" reading materials for school are so limited it is hard to find something enjoyable. I can understand not allowing gossip magazines about the latest Real Housewives news, but like you said, there are many educational magazines available to our students. Children enjoy freedom, so shouldn't we at least give them the freedom to read what they want while in school? What is the real purpose of this program?
ReplyDeleteI grew up with the Drop Everything And Read system only through Elementary School, and I loved it then. It truly did encourage me to like books better because i got to choose what i was reading and therefore it interested me more. I also did use that D.E.A.R time to catch up on class readings that i probably would not focus as intently on if i were doing the reading at home. It gave me a chance to catch up on my homework and actually learn something as opposed to skimming the reading just so I could get it done and then go outside to play. Now I didn't have this program in upper schooling, but I am surprised to learn that magazine and newspapers, especially, are not allowed during these reading times. I totally agree that Magazines and Newspapers are just as enlightening and educational as a novel. Especially considering that news of what is going on in the world outside the classroom is most of the content in Magazines and Newspapers. Are schools trying to keep kids out of the loop os society? Because I think that is so wrong. I agree with you 100%.
ReplyDeleteI grew up with the Drop Everything And Read system only through Elementary School, and I loved it then. It truly did encourage me to like books better because i got to choose what i was reading and therefore it interested me more. I also did use that D.E.A.R time to catch up on class readings that i probably would not focus as intently on if i were doing the reading at home. It gave me a chance to catch up on my homework and actually learn something as opposed to skimming the reading just so I could get it done and then go outside to play. Now I didn't have this program in upper schooling, but I am surprised to learn that magazine and newspapers, especially, are not allowed during these reading times. I totally agree that Magazines and Newspapers are just as enlightening and educational as a novel. Especially considering that news of what is going on in the world outside the classroom is most of the content in Magazines and Newspapers. Are schools trying to keep kids out of the loop os society? Because I think that is so wrong. I agree with you 100%.
ReplyDeletep.s. sorry i posted this twice, the first time i wasn't signed in.. whoops!
This was a sad post to read! I can't stand it when schools find needless ways to limit students' creativity and interests. I too am interested in why they have set so many rules for silent reading. Will you ask your sister-in-law for their reasons for this?
ReplyDeleteIn addition to letting students pursue (school appropriate) materials that interest them to encourage reading, understanding various texts is an important skill to have. If students know how to navigate newspapers and magazines, then they will more likely use them as resources for research projects and papers.
Can anyone think of realistic reasons as to why they have limited DEAR time? I can only think that certain magazines could be seen as "distracting," but this should be handled in a case by case situation. It is not fair to limit an entire school if there were issues with just one or two students in the past.
Schools are constantly encouraging children to read but they attempt to censor what is actually being read. The children are allowed to check out the books from the library but when it come to in class reading, we were not allowed to read it. We had to choose a book that fit the circumstances for the classroom. They did not want to promote and vulgar activity instead they were more concerned with sheltering it. Reading material such as newspapers and magazines are easily accessible and can be educational. If children have access to them outside of school why shouldn't they be able to read them inside school? I think reading material that schools allow should be expanded and modified to fit the outside world.
ReplyDeleteAll through my K-12 education I have never had anything like drop everything and read. It sounds like a great idea to let kids experience the enjoyment in reading a book that is not required for school. From my point of view it is unfortunate but I understand why these regulations are put in place to some extent. Some students would abuse this free time and save the reading they had for homework for this time, which takes away from the intent of this program. Drop everything and Read is designed to encourage a love for reading which will not happen with students who abuse the power. This is a tough situation because for some students these rules will help keep them on track but with others it may hurt their diverse reading choices. It does make sense that the rules need to be in place to some extent just like how we have regulations on so many other things in the world.
ReplyDeleteIn my elementary school we did DEAR too and had similar restrictions. Although I always read books during DEAR and enjoyed it, I disagree with the restrictions teachers place on what students can and can’t read. In today’s society, when asked, so many children say they hate reading or they don’t read. If we want to get kids involved with reading they should have the choice to read want they want, even if it is just a entertainment news magazine or reading for another class. If students enjoy what they are reading, they view it as a fun activity instead of an obligation. So many times during DEAR the students who didn’t like reading books would just mess around. I think if they had been allowed to read anything that interested, whether it was a magazine or comic book, they would’ve participated and enjoyed it like I did.
ReplyDeleteRestrictions such as these are the reason that many kids claim that they don't like to read. I firmly believe that if you have a child who insists that they don't enjoy reading, you have the ability to change their mindset about reading by simply showing them a book that is of interest to them. Or any reading material for that matter, newspapers, magazines, comics, and plays included. If a child gets to choose their own reading material on a topic that really interests them then they will gain more from the experience and their minds will be opened to other topics and types of literature. I have experienced firsthand how easy it is to find yourself disliking reading. In actuality I love reading, but I have been assigned the novel Jane Eyre for one of my English classes and I just can't get into it. I find Bronte's style of writing repetitive and long winded, and her characters lacking in likability. I know better than to let this novel ruin my love of reading forever, but an experience such as this one could have lasting effects on a young child. Kids should be allowed to read whatever they want during free reading time, and leave the boring books, if you must for academic assignments.
ReplyDelete