How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading

How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading
adapted from The Underachieving School, by John Holt

We make books and reading a constant source of failure
They are a constant source of public humiliation
We do this from the very beginning of school.

We make little children read aloud
They read before the teacher
They read before other children
They read so that we can be sure of something
They must "know" all the words they are reading

Here is what this means
They may not know a word
Then they are going to make a mistake
They make it right before everyone

They have done something wrong
They are made to realize this instantly

Perhaps some of the other children will begin to wave their hands
The children will say, "Ooooh! O-o-o-oh!"

Perhaps they will just giggle
Perhaps they will nudge each other
Perhaps they will make a face

"Are you sure"?
Perhaps the teacher will say that
Perhaps the teacher will ask someone else what he thinks

Perhaps the teacher is kindly
She will smile
The smile is sweet
The smile is sad
This is often one of the most painful punishments
A child suffers these punishments in school

In any case, the child has made the mistake
He knows he has made it
The child feels foolish
The child feels stupid
The child feels ashamed

Children associate books with mistakes
Children associate reading with mistakes
Children do this before very long
The mistakes may be real
The mistakes may be feared
They associate books and reading with penalties
They associate books and reading with humiliation

This may not be sensible
It is natural

A cat sat on a hot stove
It would never sit on a hot one again after this
It would never sit on a cold one either
Mark Twain once said that

As true of children as of cats
Leave all books alone
That is the safest thing to do
Children are likely to decide that
They will decide that if they, so to speak, sit on a hot book a few times
They will decide that if books cause them humiliation
They will decide that if books cause them pain