In the past recent years, I've made the small observation that the focus in academic curriculums preceding college have gradually shifted towards the sciences and maths. This is not to say that other subjects such as literature and history have been ignored, but for the most part, they have taken the back seat with my experience with education. Could it be because they appear less challenging? Or has our society simply just shifted its gears to scientific thinking, which demand less expertise in the arts and more on technical knowledge?

Either way, importance ignored, I believe that the chance for a successful education is increased by the student's experience with reading during their childhood. The more passionate they are with reading, the better their study habits and consequently, grades will become. Don't believe me - shaking your head?

Feel free to disagree, but as a child who grew up hating reading to yearning for the time to grab and finish a new book. I can tell you that I am proof that without books, I wouldn't be the student I am today.

As a child, I despised reading time. I preferred going outdoors, playing with my friends - just moving, in general. Getting me to sit still was a tough chore. It was like a game of hide-n-seek and catch me if you can. My energy was interminable and my focus always wavering. So you can see why reading time was the bane of my young existence.

However, I was blessed, (or maybe cursed), with a headstrong mother. She demanded that I always read a book every day. She was persistent and gradually, my childhood routine revolved around trying to escape reading time - only to be caught by mother, every. Single. Time.

I loathed it, but with the help of my mother, I endured it. Then once I endured it, I got to being tolerant with it until my eyes were opened to libraries and new worlds. Gradually, I got more freedom on choosing what books to read and soon, I developed my taste for books and zeroed in on my favorite genres.

Are you going to get to the point?

Yes - of course I am, but as we all know, every written piece requires an exposition. Fortunately for you, that exposition is done.

So reading. How did it save my grades? It saved it through many ways. By developing a passion for exploring books and developing a tolerance for boorish segments, I was able to build up on my analytical skills, time management prowess, concentration, memory retention - the list goes on! However, the skills I mentioned were the primary ones that saw development and improved as I continued to read.

These skills were very indispensable as I grew up. As school got academically more challenging and demanding, I found myself grateful for my background in literacy. By previously learning how to find time to read, I was, and still am now, able to schedule the periods for studying, working, and of course - leisure. By perusing countless novels, I am now adept at being able to concentrate on research pieces and assignments. My memorization and memory, in general, is notably quite better than others because of reading. (If you're planning on taking up any kind of major in college, or even AP classes in high school too, you're going to want to be good at memorizing. Trust me - AP History was a tough one.)

In conclusion, do yourself a favor. Or if you're claiming it's too late, do your children, or any kids you know a favor. Get them into books. Get them to love reading. The results are worth the effort.

Cheers to good grades! (Hopefully.)