There is so much to convey on the importance of reading that I am fumbling on how to start and where to stop. SO I have decided to reflect on what I have gained from reading.

Reading has made me the person I am today. Putting aside educational benefits that comes with reading, I shall introspect on the emotional, ethical, metaphysical and social development I have gained from reading.

Reading has fostered empathy in me.  Through reading fiction, I am able to put myself in someone else’s shoes, feel their ‘story’ and understand the world through their eyes. Access to global literature, as pointed out by Short (2018) has helped me to “develop empathy and intercultural understanding in an interconnected world” (p.294). The concept of a ‘global village’, viewing people as a united entity is facilitated by my exposure to reading widely.

Reading has kept me in pace with changes in global trends. Where there is fear of digitalisation to replace value in reading print, Gaiman (2013) assures that  “words are more important (now) than they ever were” (para. 9). In this world of text, email and influx of information,  reading enables communication, comprehension and critical analysis and knowledge collection.

Reading makes me occupy my leisure hours fruitfully. It takes me on an imaginative ride to places unknown, past, present and future. It sparks my creativity to take on the persona of a character to better understand an event beyond my personal realm (Barone, 2010, p.5). Gaiman (2013) encourages this ‘escapism’ (para. 21) as it allows readers’ minds to wander, seek ways to solve a predicament, improve the world, to make it better and different. Thus, reading offers purposeful experiences to improving my quality of life.

As an educator, my priority, lies in inculcating the importance and joy of reading amongst my students. This would ideally place my students en route to evolving into lifelong passionate readers and proactive individuals.

References:

 Barone, D. M. (2010). Children’s literature in the classroom : Engaging lifelong readers. Guilford publications.

Gaiman (16 October 2013). Neil Gaiman: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming. The Guardian.

Short, K. (2018). What’s trending in children’s literature and why it matters. Language Arts, 95(5), 287-298.