Getting Boys to Read

 

“No matter what I do Mr. Spinner, I can’t get my son to read. He hates it, he will do everything but read. And I’ve tried everything!” Of course I hear from the boys themselves… “ I hate reading Mr. Spinner. You can’t make me read. I’d much rather be: playing X-Box, shooting hoops, sticking needles in my eyes." After 17 years in the middle school classroom, I am sure I’ve heard them all and I can honestly say, it’s bunk. Boy will read, they do read, they crave stories, they want heroes and heroines, boys have a desire for action and even, romance. Let me start with the worst case-scenario.

Circa June 2003

My classroom looks strange to me as it is dark outside. Maybe twice a year I’m in my room when it’s dark outside.  I’m moving the piles around, mindlessly prepping for summer. Sweat is drying on my shirt as I’m enjoying  the melancholy after-glow of our graduation ceremony. I hear footsteps coming down the second floor hallway. Must be the janitor or one of my 8^th grade colleagues, I think. I look up to see the father of a student standing in the doorway, arms folded across his chest. Uh oh, what does he want?  I think. “I NEVER do this kind of thing, “ he bellows into my quiet classroom. I’m trying to place whose father he is and more importantly to deduce what I might have done wrong. “I have to come in and shake your hand Mr. Spinner.” (Phew, it’s one of those meetings.) “I don’t know what you did to my son but my wife and I have been begging and pleading for years to get him to read. We’ve tried everything, and somehow you got him to read. I can’t tell you how happy we are. Everywhere we go, his face is in a book. You awoke something in him, and we are so grateful. I felt compelled to tell you that in person.”  I deflect.  “It was nothing really (Inside I’m beaming, I love this part of the job). All I did was get to know your son. I learned a little bit about who he was and what made him tick and we took it from there. I knew about his interest in the military because we had been chatting about shows on The History Channel and the rest, as they say, is history.”

In that story is, for the most part, the recipe for getting your boys, or any reluctant reader, to read:

Follow their Passion…allow boys to choose books about things they like. Just like us, they will be energetic and enthusiastic in researching/reading about something that interests them. No DuhJ How many of you avoid your book club books because you didn’t choose it? How about procrastinating on those periodicals you have to read for work? That’s all very normal. You know your boys, think about their hobbies, concentrate on their interests and then take them to the library or the bookstore. Nudge them in the right direction. For me, and a lot of boys, the entrée was biographies of sports heroes. I was a Met fan but the first books I really remember were about Yankee greats Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. I mean the Mets were a young team when I was growing up so…

Choice…this might be the most important part. You have to allow them to choose their own books, it’s paramount. The sense of empowerment they derive is crucial. Remember our boys live in a world where they have to ask for money, or a ride to the park. Let’s not forget, our kids live in a world where they are told when to go to bed…they love to make their own choices. Readers will naturally go to where their passions lie. You might have to rein in your desire to put a classic or a “real” book in their hands, at least at first. Those books might come over time.  Over the years, how many of us were turned off of reading because we HAD to read Dickens or Shakespeare? In 10^th grade Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton almost did me in but luckily the Reading Bug already had a good hold on me by that age. It’s been my experience, in the Reader’s Workshop, that this is the MOST important thing, letting readers choose their own books.

Be Lenient: Turn a blind eye to some of the books they might choose. Allow them to read something inappropriate (within reason).  Adolescents are naturally rebellious, we can all remember being  that age. Why do you think Rock & Roll and Punk Rock and Rap are so popular among that age group? If boys think they are pushing the envelope, if they are quietly snickering and sharing excerpts with their friends about masturbation or violence or criminal activity…who cares? By hook or by crook I say. Get them hooked and they’ll stay hooked. They’ll think it’s really cool that they are doing something slightly inappropriate and you might score some points as a cool parent. Lord knows we can all use a few of those points right? 

Start Small: With some of our really reluctant readers, a graphic novel might have to suffice at first. Get them in the habit of sitting down, of turning pages, of sharing excerpts with friends and family…even if it’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid, baby steps. As Lau Tsu said, A thousand mile journey begins with one step. 

Read:  Now I don’t want to get preachy here but I chuckle at the frustrated parents who tell me they can’t get their kids to read but when I ask,  “What are you reading now?” I get a blank stare. You have to model, nothing worse for a teenager than the Do as I say, not as I do school of parenting. Read a book, go to the library with him, maybe even read the same book so you can connect around the literature. Then go see the movie when it comes out. All of these things will help him as a reader and I’m sure as a person.

 

Goals and incentives: Although altruistically, I think reading is its own reward, some boys might need an additional incentive. Buy them books. Don’t you remember the first hard cover book you owned? My aunt bought me a copy of Where the Wild Things Are, complete with the shiny foil seal because it was a Caldecott Award Winner. I loved that book. What better way to show your boys that reading is important than to spend your hard earned money on books?  Or try other incentives besides books?  Show them you value it, that you think it’s that important by telling them you’ll get them that Lego Star Wars Tie-Fighter or that Madden 2015 game if they read  3 books in 3 months. To get them into a pattern of setting goals and reaping rewards can be a life-long lesson.

Life Long Goals: Connect reading to all of the things they want out of life. I want to go to Harvard? Duke? Michigan? SUNY Buffalo (my alma mater)…then you should read. It’s the readers in the world who succeed. I want a beach house. I want to start my own company. I want to be a veterinarian. I want  a townhouse on the Upper West Side. I want to be a writer….again, reading is one of the keys to success.

Use your resources:  Your local library probably runs some type of Summer Reading incentive program. Kids will often get a bag filled with treats and directions on how to participate. They’ll not only be reading but they might win some Itunes cards or gift cards to a bookstore or other prizes. Your local librarians, particularly the YA or Teen librarian will help you choose the right book for your child. This is what they do, it’s their job and they are always up on the current titles. Our local YA librarians have been an invaluable resource to me and my students.

Make it social: Talk about reading and books with friends. Start a Book Club or join some groups at your local library. See what they offer at school. We often think of reading as a solitary endeavor but it’s really very social when done right.

Correct Level Text: Make sure the books are the right level. Readers will get really frustrated, and not want to read, if they can’t understand the book. You can ask the teachers for their reading level. A simple rule we teach our students is the Five Finger Rule: If there are five words on any given page that are too difficult for you, then that book is probably too hard for you. It’s tricky because as they move through the grades, reluctant readers fall further behind and often times become self-conscious of the level of text they are reading relative to their peers.  If a book is tough but they still want to try it, to stretch themselves, reinforce for them the strategies they learned at school for deciphering difficult text: Read slowly/closely, reread, use context clues, read the next few sentences, look things up, ask someone. 

To close I’ll go back to my classroom and the gracious father: his son…after leaving the Woodbury Middle School as an avid reader, graduated towards the top of his class at the local high school. Went to Marist College where he majored in History, something he was passionate about. Now that once reluctant reader is applying to grad schools that revolve around his passion of military history. This was possible, in part, because we were able to kindle his love of reading in my 8^th grade classroom. I hope this helps your boys find some good books and hopefully, sparks a love of reading that will lead to so many life-affirming benefits.