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Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class

nytimes.com

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Re: Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class

#31

Post by Zak »

gambiting wrote: post #22
thrwaway55 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you write in cursive? If you care about WPM key board toasts it. If you care about handwritten your receiver cares they got your letter at all not that it's cursive or not. Cursive is an outdated skill for when it was the fastest way to get words written to paper.

>>Why would you write in cursive? I'm confused. How do you write if not in cursive? Do you just write in block capitals? With each letter on its own? Do you just not hand write anymore? >>Cursive is an outdated skill for when it was the fastest way to get words written to paper. But....It still is? Without using some kind of machine of course.

Most people do not hand write anything more than a short note in 2025, and paper is not usually the target medium for longer texts. A desire to write without access to some sort of machine is a bit quaint.

Of course to be pedantic, modern pens are machines too.

Re: Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class

#32

Post by komali2 »

brightball wrote: post #21
adfm wrote: post #8

I’ve noticed some of these kids can’t tell time on analog clocks nor read cursive handwriting.

Analog clocks are interesting in that they exercise your brain when you read them. You have to do calculation (what is the number system for each hand), spatial reasoning (where is each hand) and categorization (what is each hand). There’s a program called Arrowsmith that has a summer program called the Cognitive Intensive Program. It’s basically 3-4 hours a day of speed reading analog clock for 7 weeks. You start ou…

What information does an 8 handed clock convey?

Re: Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class

#33

Post by Natsu »

brightball wrote: post #16
anon7000 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s odd, I read ravenously as a kid/teen, as did my siblings. You need to read what you enjoy, and for it to not be forced. (For example, summer reading at the library gave out prizes kids cared about for reading books.) Plus, we didn’t have access to much digital media like TV/video games (though it was the early 2010s) because my parents were strict, so books were a solid source of entertainment.

I read a lot of books that fit my tastes as a kid, usually adventure/fantasy genre stuff. Never enjoyed the stuff that got assigned in school though. I’d probably like it now.

Anything you're forced to do too much you lose all enjoyment of. If you're given at least a bit of agency, it's far more enjoyable.

I read because I wanted to all the time, but every reading assignment was a chore.

Re: Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class

#34

Post by tekla »

Telaneo wrote: post #27
tekla wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Ok, then why can't kids test out of it most of the time Because they can't read or write, and neither can most adults, including developers.

I agree that that's its purpose, but the fact that there are many adults who are as bad at reading and writing as there are just goes to show how bad the classes are at actually teaching what they're trying to teach. That said, maths aren't much different. Being bad at maths is a cultural marker of sorts, since many maths classes are very bad indeed at teaching much beyond basic addition and subtraction.

School is good for people who care to care. American students do pretty decently on international standard exams. It's that we have a culture of not giving a fuck, and thus we have adults who can't read something that is over a 6th grade level.

See this very website on people who complain that they can't digest a pretty straightforward article

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46008788

Re: Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class

#35

Post by komali2 »

lucyjojo wrote: post #14
kevmo314 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aside from signatures, which don't need to be read, I don't remember the last time I've seen cursive outside of an elementary school.

you don't write. people don't write in cursive around you?

I've been journaling and taking handwritten notes in cursive since 1998. You'd think I'd have developed beautiful handwriting - nope, illegible.

Re: Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class

#36

Post by Telaneo »

stevewodil wrote: post #4

I don’t know if this matters much. When I was in school it was rare to actually read a book assignment anyways, and I’m sure with LLMs now it’s less. I’ve started to have a positive association with reading only in the last few years, I wish schools didn’t force books onto children and make them think they hate reading for their whole lives.

> I wish schools didn’t force books onto children and make them think they hate reading for their whole lives.

It's a tough position to be in, although I'd imagine it could be remedied by having the kids pick whatever book they want. So they can read whatever they want, but they do have to actually read it. Form a learning/teaching point of view, this is probably ideal, but I'd imagine it's not really possible from a logistical point of view, since the teacher would likely have to familiarise themselves with as many books as they have pupils, which isn't viable unless the class is fairly small.

Re: Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class

#37

Post by idle_zealot »

stevewodil wrote: post #4

I don’t know if this matters much. When I was in school it was rare to actually read a book assignment anyways, and I’m sure with LLMs now it’s less. I’ve started to have a positive association with reading only in the last few years, I wish schools didn’t force books onto children and make them think they hate reading for their whole lives.

> I wish schools didn’t force books onto children and make them think they hate reading for their whole lives

The problem is that if you don't force them, they never actually become literate enough to discover that reading is fun later in life.

Re: Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class

#39

Post by [deleted] »

robcohen wrote: post #6

It just seems to me that the entire purpose of school is not clear. What precisely is the purpose of "English" class? What? To read and speak English? Ok, then why can't kids test out of it most of the time? Is the purpose to be knowledgeable about a canon of literature? Why can't people test against that? The truth is that pedagogy and instruction is just a lazy way of providing childcare. So who cares what they do…

[deleted]
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