In elementary school, reading is highly encouraged. There are programs which encourage children to read, the like 100 Book Challenge. Parents have bed time rituals which involve books. Books, as an avid reader or child, are some of the best gifts to receive. Then middle school and high school comes around. In middle school, the language arts classes have books each student is required to read, and typically these are accompanied by book reports to prove to the teacher these books are, in fact, read. High school is paired with the tougher, more complex writings of famous authors of poets, playwrights, and novelists. The purpose of doing so much reading is to learn about the world, life lessons and to help improve vocabulary.
By the time students get to high school, if they are like me, reading during the summer becomes minimal. There were plenty of fantastic sounding series coming out like The Hunger Games, the Divergent Trilogy and the Twilight Saga in my high school days, but I never found the time to read. The amount of reading I did outside of the school year was limited to news articles, blogs, tabloids, and advice columns; it wasn’t even constant.
Now, I realize the importance of continuously reading, not just those articles and tabloids, the importance of actually reading a book. Since my days of constant reading, I have noticed a decrease in the accuracy and level of my vocabulary. Elegant words no longer flow out easily and I, often times, have to take a minute or so to think of the word I want to say or write. I do not sound nearly as intelligent as I did in the past. This can be quite embarrassing, especially when the President of your college asks what you like to do for fun and all you can get out is “I like to laugh.” Even in simple conversations I struggle to find the words. My communication skills have altered, also. I have trouble finding the right adjectives to describe myself. In interviews, I have less to say because I’d rather say nothing than use a word incorrectly. On a daily basis, I find myself struggling just to find the words to speak. Reading is not only crucial to the development of a person’s vocabulary, it is crucial to keeping it up.
My writing has also since suffered. In college, especially as a freshman, I was required to write around five papers a week. Many of which were to be structured in a specific writing style and follow formatting guidelines. I was constantly using concise language and big words. There were lots of novels I had to read for my elective classes, too. Now, a junior in college, the amount of writing I do, outside of Odyssey, is approximately three papers a month (Note: I am in a major which does not typically require the writing of as many formal papers as a major like Chemistry or English would). The combination of not reading and not writing has put a damper on my vocabulary, big time. Read more, write better.
Since realizing the effects of reading substantially less, I have started vocabulary builder apps, spelling apps and am actually finding time to read again. Although I am not to where I would like to be, I know if I keep reading I can get to the level I desire. I stress the importance of reading because of the effect it has on a person’s vocabulary, especially. Think about a job interview; if two people are who received the same GPA in college are interviewed, who is hired? When the playing field is equal on paper, it is even more important to be able to communicate effectively. The one who gets the job offer, nine times out of 10, is the one who can speak eloquently and intelligently.
When was the last time you read a book in your spare time? A while? Now is the perfect time to start reading again. I promise you, you will notice a difference in the way you speak and the words you use!
