PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — The pages
are starting to get a little dusty in the books owned by the 16-24 age
demographic. The cobwebs on the cover symbolize a growing problem with the high
school and college students of today. According to an article on The Chronicle
Of Higher Education, the number of student who read for pleasure has taken a
serious nose drive in recent years.
Kenzie Heffernan works at the
information desk in Feinberg Library.
“I believe that student
nowadays do not read for fun,” Heffernan said, “They are so consumed with their
school work and reading textbooks.
Unlike a vast majority of her
peers Heffernan, considers herself to be an avid reader.
“I like to read because it
relaxes me,” she said, “And I fall asleep easier when reading instead of being
on my phone or watching Netflix on a bright computer screen.”
Senior research librarian,
Joshua Beatty, doesn't “see a lot of student's reading for fun.”
“I think that our 'browse
section' which is mostly fiction, is browsed,” he said “But if students are
reading for fun, they are doing it under the noses of the library”
Has the process of going to
the library and checking out a book become a thing of the past?
Beatty thinks more students
are readying on “Smart phones or Kindles, things that we wouldn't see”
Like Heffernan, Beatty thinks
that a student's busy schedule is to blame for a lack of reading.
“They just don't have a lot
of free time,” he said, “School work, working part-time jobs, being involved in
extracurricular activities, that takes time.
The reality is, students of
today are taught that being involved with many different things is just what's
expected of them. When applying to college it's good to have a list of
extracurricular, it shows that you like to be involved. When applying to jobs
after school it's better to have a list of clubs, organization and honor
societies that you were involved with. Having the skill of time management
looks good on any application.
Matthew Quilty, a sophomore
business student, says his schedule “doesn't include time for reading anything
outside of what's required for classes.”
Quilty, a member of the
Plattsburgh State men's hockey team, considers his daily schedule to be “Very
busy”
“I think that reading could
be relaxing for some students, I probably would be for me,” he said, “I just
have other things to do with my free time.”
Morgan Winters is a junior in
high school.
“I definitely read for fun,”
Winters said.
She thinks a student saying
that they don’t have enough free time for reading is a “Lame excuse”.
“I'm a cheerleader, play
soccer, take dance classes and maintain an overall average of 93,” she said,
“If you want to do something, you will make the time for it.”
Winters says that although
she doesn't read as much during the school year she still manages to finish a new
book every month.
“You just have to be
creative,” she said, “I read while I'm on the bus to games or if none of my
friends are in my study-hall and I’ve finished my work.”
How would an educator feel
about this problem?
“It fairly simple to pick out
the 'readers' among my classes” Maryann Jones said.
Jones, a high school English
teacher thinks that students who do not reading outside of class are missing
out on “life experiences.”
“Book's allow us to take a
little vacation when we really need one but just can't get away,” she said.
“How else can I experience
the sights and sounds of china from my bedroom,” Jones said, “Television aren’t
going to give you tiny details like a book can.”
She thinks that students use
their schedules as excuses for a lot of things. “Everybody is busy, I have a
job, a family and countless other things to do during my day” she said, “but I
still lie in bed every night and read a book before falling asleep.
Jones thinks that if a
student really wants to read, they will make the necessary effort.
“I will always encourage my
students to pick up a book and start reading,” Jones said, “Even if they only
read a page, that's a good start.”
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