Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care

The Power of Reading

It is one thing to know something is good for us, it is another to do something about it. Exercise and diet are two that come readily to mind - we often know we should change our habits but struggle to do so for a consistent period, returning to old habits and excuses.

Whilst I’ve never been a subscriber to the ‘Golden Age’ view of society (things were much better in the past - manners, respect, handwriting, neighbourliness etc), there is without doubt a disturbing trend around declining reading, particularly amongst young people. In its place, reading is being replaced by ‘screen time’. The Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that the proportion of children reading in their spare time has dropped rapidly. This is being replaced by increased hours in front of screens. Most concerning, students from disadvantaged backgrounds are over represented in these figures further deepening their educational disadvantage.

There are two powerful, incontrovertible reasons why families and schools need to reverse this trend within our young people.

Firstly, reading underpins all learning. Reading exposes us to the writing of others that is usually better than our own and thus helps us become stronger, more effective writers (this is why the first unit taught in Year 11 English across the state is ‘Reading to Write’). Reading is how we access what others think and believe. It is also where we find new information, ideas and ways of seeing the world. It builds in our brains the capacity to reflect, weigh up, imagine, consider and determine what it is we think and believe. Reading enables us to do this more at our own pace.

In stark contrast, research shows that half of TikTok users are stressed by anything longer than 60 seconds. Instagram videos can be up to 90 seconds but the accepted ideal time to engage a viewer is considered anything less than 15 seconds. Twitter increased the length of tweets to 280 characters in 2017 but the average length is 33 characters. What these disturbing facts reveal is that peoples’ concentration spans are being drastically shortened. The obvious implications for young people as learners is dire.

Added to this is the detrimental impact of high social media use on a person’s mental health. Constant scrolling provides a short-term dopamine rush which leaves the user trapped in a cycle of pleasure seeking that ends up depleting the user rather than uplifting them. This, coupled with the harmful imaging and aggression that tends to accompany social media, makes for a toxic cocktail fueling an epidemic of anxiety and depression among young people. 

The answer to this problem - put down the device and read a book. A range of studies shows that reading fiction increases your capacity for empathy (a quality steadily declining due to the self-centred nature of social media). Reading reduces stress similar to activities like yoga and exercise. Reading also develops a curious mind - the more we read the more we learn, the more we think about the world and the way it is, we seek to find out more about things we don’t understand or know.

At school, Mrs Burke and the English Faculty have implemented regular reading sessions for students in Years 7 and 8 to complement the reading they do at home. The Library team have revitalised the book selections on offer and listened to student feedback and purchased texts they recommend. Parents can support these initiatives by encouraging reading at home. Insist on a time where no one uses screens at home. Have books lying about, discuss books, share what you are reading, read what your students are reading at school; make reading a priority because it is essential for learning and for supporting good mental health. 

Mick Larkin 

Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care