Reading is Learning

A day doesn't go by without a conversation with a parent, teacher, or student about what to read. The conversation always gets around to the fact that self-selection and reading for fun will bring forth better readers. So much of the school day is spent reading texts tied to curriculum, oftentimes tailored to a perceived level, that I encourage all of my students to read what they want!

But do you wonder why? Why do I think it is ok to read whatever, whenever? This infographic from the Perry United School District astounds me:

The first time I saw this infographic, I was stunned. But then I thought about my own reading life~ and I got it. Through this past year of reading- historical fiction, memoirs, realistic fiction, adventure- I have become aware of so many things I had not previously known. Through reading a variety of texts, I was driven to a sense of wonder that lead me to research and gain the background I needed to fully enjoy the book. I'm not talking college level reads here, but books that happened in other parts of the world. Places I've never ventured to, only heard of. Now, I'm a better person because of it-  I grew. I learned. 

Reading is learning.  What is learning? Illumination. Enlightenment. Wisdom. Understanding. Scholarship.  And if learning is all of these~ and all of these things come from reading~ I must continue to encourage reading for fun, without limitations.