American author Fran Lebowitz once said, “Think before you speak. Read before you think.” This is a philosophy we share at the RGS where the written word, even in the 21st century, is still regarded as one of the most powerful influences. There is no doubt that reading fosters literacy, nourishes the mind, gives perspective, nurtures empathy, and provides an education in the broadest possible sense for our students.
Literacy remains a key focus for us as a school. Despite continually striving for the very best blend of digital and offline teaching and learning, research is absolutely unequivocal about the value of reading. Nationally, schools have noticed that students’ reading and writing stamina is suffering; students often lack the focus and resilience to read complex texts and they struggle to write for prolonged periods of time. We remain committed to bucking these trends. As a result, we continue to prioritise disciplinary literacy in various ways, including the introduction of an academic reading task every term in each academic subject and also by setting aside weekly Tutor time for the younger years, dedicated to reading for pleasure. As research by the Education Endowment Foundation affirms, “Literacy is key to learning across all subjects and a strong predictor of outcomes in later life.”
This year’s World Book Week has also served to highlight the centrality of reading in our curriculum and has been jam-packed with visiting authors, workshops, assemblies, quizzes, competitions and book discussion groups open to all year groups. The week challenged every one of us to pick up a book, to re-engage with a love of literature and reading, and to read genres or styles which we may not normally choose. Our Head of English, Ms Wijesinghe, spoke about the importance of empathy in a Reflection to the whole school during Monday’s assembly, “When you read a book you walk in another man’s shoes, you are encouraged to consider, if only for a moment, what life might be like for another human being apart from yourself.” If we knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of racially or sexually-motivated hatred, would we abuse others? If we knew what it felt like to struggle in poverty would we judge those less fortunate than us? If we knew what it felt like to flee our homes in war, would we not do everything in our power to preserve peace? We cannot experience everything first-hand but we can try to understand the lives and feelings of others, and reading enables us to do so. As Ms Wijesinghe noted, “In an age of misinformation and “fake news” a library can offer information from verifiable sources – some you may disagree with – but enough to allow you to make up your own mind after reading texts that have passed through a long and arduous editorial process, rather than posts submitted on social media on a whim to gain likes.”
Reading for pleasure; learning for life. “ ”
In an increasingly global context to our daily lives, mistrust and prejudice are often fueled by sensationalism and rumour or an inability to empathise and sympathise. Books remain one of the most important vehicles to break down barriers and to make our students as worldly, tolerant and balanced as possible. World Book Week intentionally, therefore, provided students with a diverse range of literary options. Thought-provoking, challenging and broadening, the books included: a fascinating true story based on the life of Hardit Singh Malik, World War I’s first Indian pilot; a sweeping exploration of the amazing ways in which animals navigate their way around the world; an in-depth look at algorithms, their power, their limitation and their impact on humanity; a crime thriller set against the complex political background of 21st-century South Africa; a travel story weaving a pathway between the real and the supernatural worlds in a journey across Japan; an investigation into the application of high-powered analytical tools to everyday football topics; and an engaging and highenergy novel Broken Hearts and Zombie Parts which tackles the themes of body image, homophobia and bullying.
In addition, World Book Week also provided the forum for our Lower School students to develop their creative writing and artistic skills in workshops with charismatic and inspiring authors and illustrators. These opportunities unashamedly embraced and nurtured Imagination and Aspiration, two of our key Learning Habits. Writing for pleasure has been proved to nurture creativity and to support selfexpression and wellbeing; we hope that these experiences will encourage our students to continue to foster these invaluable skills.
World Book Week provided a perfect opportunity as a school community to celebrate reading for reading’s sake. The books were unashamedly challenging and engaged with ‘big ideas’, which went beyond our students’ normal spheres of engagement: books which were developmentally beneficial as well as being outside their usual reading habits. The value of this approach is encapsulated succinctly by American philosopher Mortimer J. Adler: “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” Reading for pleasure; learning for life.
