Sometimes, being a teacher makes you fear for the future of the world. You think things like: “How can this world possibly improve with the generation that will take over in a few decades?”
An example:
Tonight, while in Pampa for a basketball game, I was sitting in the stands with my players while the A team was playing. When half-time came along, I got out the novel that I’ve been reading (George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones), opened it up and started to finish the chapter that I was on. The kid sitting next to me asked, “Are you reading?!”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Why?”
“Uh, because I like to read.”
“Why would you want to read? I hate it!”
Seconds later, I had an identical conversation with another one of my players.
This is what is sad with the upcoming generation. The vast majority of them don’t read. They are so used to being spoon-fed what to see via television, videogames, and movies, that they can’t possibly comprehend why anyone would want to use their imagination and God forbid, think. Now don’t get me wrong, I watch a crapload of TV, play a lot of videogames, and have quite a massive DVD collection, but I still like to use my imagination and read, write, or do anything creative.
I think part of this comes from the way kids are forced to read at school. They are made to read books that don’t interest them, or read a book for “points.” At the end of a six-weeks, if they don’t have enough points, they get a failing grade. That’s a great way to foster a love of reading.
Of course, this should be the part where I come up with a better solution, but I’ve got some television to watch.