Why Good Reading Matters

11/14/2014

Parent Enrichment seminar points to the importance of quality, challenging literature.

Current and prospective parents filled the balcony of the Arts & Athletics Center last night to attend the first Parent Enrichment seminar of the school year.

“Outside a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside a dog, it’s too dark to read.” Head of School Dr. Karen Bohlin, the keynote speaker, opened her remarks to laughter as she quoted Groucho Marx.

Dr. Bohlin reviewed the importance of a “healthy diet” for young readers. “The question is not whether it is better to read Hamlet than The Hunger Games,” she explained. “The question is, why does Hamlet matter? What makes it nutritious - intellectually, aesthetically, ethically? Why does The Hunger Games need to be balanced by Jane Eyre?” Dr. Bohlin noted that parents must be mindful not just whether children read at all, but of the kind of reading they engage in. Much popular young adult literature, she observed, features one-dimensional characters, sensationalizes adolescent problems, lacks psychological depth and can darken the outlook of young people.

Dr. Bohlin cited many benefits to young people who read good literature. For example, good literature can prompt a young reader to reflect and evaluate, help her understand other people and challenge her to think deeply. She discussed strategies for parents to encourage their children to read worthwhile books, by setting a good example with their own reading, limiting their children’s screen time and getting advice for titles from trusted sources such as mercatornet.org. “Why does good reading matter? It helps us to take ourselves seriously, to take other people seriously and to engage in life reflectively and purposefully,” Dr. Bohlin concluded.

Montrose parents seeking book recommendations can also consult the Enrichment Reading List, found in the Student Handbook (available under Resources when parents log into Montrose Connections.)

Dr. Bohlin was followed by Barbara Whitlock, Montrose School Coordinator of Critical Reading, Writing & Research. Mrs. Whitlock discussed recent research regarding how reading more complex texts affects brain development differently from reading easier texts. Describing how students transition from “decoding” to “automaticity” as they develop as readers, she noted that Montrose students, who are required to read progressively more complex texts, make this transition and break through to higher, more innovative thinking. To read Mrs. Whitlock’s recent article, How Your Daughter Benefits from Reading Quality Literature Year-Round, click here.

Assistant Head of School & Academic Dean Katherine Ginnetty, the final panelist, explained the Montrose difference regarding good reading. “Montrose cares about what your daughter reads because of the connection between reading and developing the whole person,” Mrs. Ginnetty noted. She described the Montrose English curriculum’s organizing themes for each grade, with chosen works of literature for each theme. For example, girls in 6th grade enjoy such works as A Midsummer Nights Dream, Around the World in 80 Days and A Wrinkle in Time under the theme of Explore Imagination, while 11th grade students undertake more challenging works such as Hamlet, Pride and Prejudice and Heart of Darkness as they explore the more sophisticated theme of Discovering the Truth about Freedom and Self-Knowledge.

For a full listing of Montrose School’s 2014-2015 Core Works of Literature by grade and theme, click here.

A lively Q and A session followed the panelists’ presentations. Parents inquired about the pros and cons of e-readers, asked for tips for reluctant readers, requested resources for suggested books and more in a wide-ranging discussion.

To borrow a DVD of the evening’s presentation, please contact Ellen Baker.

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