Comments by "SmallSpoonBrigade" (@SmallSpoonBrigade) on "Why everyone stopped reading." video.

  1. I was in a similar position. I was in special ed for reading in 2nd grade, but by the next year I had apparently caught up enough to not require the help. I had some undiagnosed learning problems that contributed, but these days, I can read books without much trouble. I do have to be very careful when reading if I need to be certain that I'm reading the right words, but I can do it.
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  2. I learned to read in the '80s and at the time, there was a lot of work that went on, but there were also some great games that encouraged literacy. I remember the TLC games that were built pretty entirely on being able to read the text between bits where you were just playing. So, the goal in reading the text was to advance in the game and for the most part those reading segments weren't very long. We also had a librarian for the school's library and there would be free books given out to all of the students in an effort to connect the kids up with that one book that sparks the connection to reading. And the books being given away weren't even intended to be educational beyond practice reading either. I got one that had a rather striking picture on the front including a snake crawling through a pile of skulls.
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  3. To an extent whole language does work, but you have to know how to read in a language before that is even possible. So, it can be somewhat helpful for older students trying to learn to read a new language, but it really doesn't work with kids trying to learn to read their first language and often times not knowing the grammar that's being used either.
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  4. I wonder how much of this is the result of over-scheduling the kids in activities combined with a lack of proper literacy education and librarians to find books that the kids want to read while still young enough to build a life where books are a significant part of daily living.
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