Why Children Hate To Read: For Starters

Sadly, today I spent lots of time at the doctor's office and in the hospital. Don't worry, everything is fine. Knowing me and my impatient self, I decided none of the magazines were worth my time so I thought maybe I could get a kick out of reading a children's book called "Not Norman".

I opened the first page of the book and began reading. By the second page, in my mind I was thinking "wow, this kid is a brat". To summarize the book, I will just say that a kid for his birthday received a goldfish from his parents as a gift and he was not happy because he wanted a "real" pet, I recall the book even describing that he wanted a pet that he could play with, sleep with, run around with, etc. The pictures also imply that the kid is hurting the goldfish's feelings. Yes, I know it is a goldfish and in reality, if a kid didn't want a goldfish, it wouldn't cry, but I started wondering if in the long run, it makes kids believe that it is ok to hurt someone's feelings by either mocking them, bullying them, or not wanting to be their friend.

As I continue reading this book, I try to figure out where it is going. Was it trying to tell children that it is ok not to appreciate presents? He wanted to return his goldfish and trade it for something "cooler", he even tries to sell it to his classmates. I then ask myself, why am I reading this? Not only was the message terrible, but the book itself was boring and the character was conveyed as rude. Just so that I could generate a valid opinion, I continued to read the book and of course there was the happy ending where the kid finally accepted the goldfish and wanted to keep it.

Then it occurred to me, books like these were the very reason I hated reading in elementary school. Boring books with characters like the one in this book made me hate reading (and don't get me started on the reading passages that are given to you for standardized testing. If you really want a child to do well on a test, give them passages that will be somewhat interesting).

So then I started thinking back to when I actually developed the desire to read. I did not like reading until about 10th grade when I discovered Stephen King, then after my interest developed, I moved to other authors. Yes, Stephen King may be considered a freak to most people but admit it, the guy can write a novel and keep you interested. Now I am not saying Stephen King is what elementary students should be reading but I am saying that books should be written in order to encourage students to develop the desire to read. Make it interesting and fun, and I think that should apply to not only elementary school but middle school and high school as well. Point is, if kids are reading books like "Not Norman" and are even half as bored as I was, you're teaching them right off the bat that reading is boring.

Now for my point- STOP GIVING CHILDREN A BORING SELECTION OF BOOKS! Reading is a good thing!
If you have an interest in writing or even think that I made a point in this blog, have you ever considered writing children's books? The thought crossed my mind and I am heavily considering it. If you are too, get busy!

The Last Song: 2 Thumbs Up

Saturday April 3, my mom and I decided to have one of our 'girls day out' and went to see The Last Song. Personally, I like Miley Cyrus as an actor, not to mention the amount of talent that girl has that goes unnoticed and unappreciated. I started out liking Cyrus during her show Hannah Montana, yes I know. It is Disney Channel and childish right? Wrong. First, I would like to say that I like Disney channel because it has 'clean' humor. No sex, no drugs, nothing vulgar, morbid, or perverted. Just clean comedy. If you have any good movies that do not involve sex, drugs, perverted 'humor', or stupid comedy (like Napoleon Dynamite) feel free to tell me what they are. I'd love to know.

For example, just typing in 'Comedy Movies' in yahoo images search engine, I find things like "The Hangover" or "Sex Is Comedy". First of all, I did not think highly of The Hangover at all because one: I thought the 'comedy' in that movie was stupid. Secondly: the message behind the movie was pathetic. A man goes to Vegas with friends for a bachelor's party, gets so drunk he forgets everything, and almost leaves his wife stranded at the alter because his friends forget he is on top of the hotel building. The entire movie is about 4 immature and idiotic men trying to figure out what happened the night before. What good message comes from that? Anyways, I will save that for a different day.

When I went to see The Last Song, multiple things impressed me. Miley Cyrus showed more talent than I thought she had, plus the movie, in my opinion was very well made, not to mention, a beautiful story (and this time, I decided to read the book after the movie so I could keep separate opinions on the two). Cyrus not only showed good acting skills, but she also presented her talent on the piano. When discussing this movie with several different friends, I was shocked to hear most of them say they refused to see the movie because Miley Cyrus was the main character. Why?

I believe that society has defined 'comedy' as crude, perverted, sexual, or pointless so actors on Disney channel never get a chance when it comes to the big screen and I think that is because people believe that the actors on Disney are there because they can't really act when in reality, that statement is false. In my opinion, if Miley Cyrus had never signed a contract with Disney, I think more people would consider seeing her movies in theaters. Why do Disney productions make a difference? Because 'mature' teenagers and adults do not take her seriously because they think that she has no talent, so in the long run, Disney has done her no justice. Yes, she has made her way onto the big screen in Nick Sparks movie as well as her songs on the radio, but I believe that is more because of the talent she offers and because her father knows the business.

If your reason for not considering to see The Last Song is due to the fact that Miley Cyrus has "poor acting skills" or no talent, I would think again. You cannot base your opinion off of a Disney channel show that is specifically made for kids and family viewing. Walk into that theater with an open mind and pretend as if you have never heard of Miley Cyrus and I guarantee you would be impressed. So instead of saying "yea but it's Miley Cyrus" enjoy a night out to see a movie, you deserve it. Oh and bring a box of tissues. I even heard men sniffling in the theater.