The Washington Post – Valerie Strauss
“Earlier this week I noted that attitudes toward reading drop as students get older; reading attitudes are actually at their highest when children first learn to read. Worse, positive attitudes aren’t enough. I have a very positive attitude towards exercise. I believe it brings important health benefits, and I know I feel better when I exercise. Yet I don’t exercise. That’s true, in part, because I don’t see myself as someone who exercises. Self-image matters. Children must not only have a positive attitude towards reading, they must see themselves as the kind of kid who reads. Where does our self-image come from? A large measure of it comes from comparison. You see yourself as a reader not just because you do it with some frequency, but because you notice that you do it more than your friends do. After all, you eat lunch every day, but “lunch eater” isn’t part of your self-image. But if you notice (and your friends notice) that you order salad whenever you all go to lunch, that could become part of your self-image. You’re the salad eater in your group.”(more)