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Don't forget, that parents need to set the example of the importance of reading, too. John and I both read a lot and we did the summer reading program as a family. Easier to do because we both taught.

My mother was a librarian, my dad was into electronics; both read for different reasons, but we saw that.

I also encouraged parents to write their children notes to emphasize the importance of written words. My cousin and I were just talking about treasuring notes that our parents, particularly, Dads wrote to us.

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Yes! We're both avid readers and we've made audiobooks a regular party of our travel routine. And one of the greatest gifts my grandmother ever gave us is the letters she wrote to every member of the family every year. She was always writing.

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As a person who has been a committed reader almost every year of my life, it is hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that there are those that never read. I would love to have lots of others join us here in the joy.

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I relate to so much of what you wrote. I love reading and have made a habit of starting the morning with 20 or so minutes of reading, because if I only read at bedtime, then I fall asleep after a few pages. I too listen to audiobooks for runs & drives.

My kids lost their childhood desire to read once they hit middle/high school, but now my daughter is rediscovering novels at age 24, which I’m so happy about. She likes to read trashy thrillers, which is great! I am not judgmental about what counts as “literature.”

My brother is a longtime English teacher, and in addition to struggling to get students to read and write with passion (not only because they have to), he is sounding the alarm of AI. Students can now produce any type of paper, well done, using new AI programs, and they’re not detected by anti-plagiarism sites. He says it’s the death of essay writing and will fundamentally change college apps (no college app essay can be trusted now) and will lead to a greater reliance on in-class writing assignments. It’s really sad and worrisome.

Let’s connect on Goodreads!

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Ha, I actually just wrote a piece for The Educator's Room about AI. I'll share in my next newsletter. And I know that for many of my stronger students, desire to read disappears because they are so freaking busy! But it's my weaker students I worry about. They are the ones who need to read more and they just refuse. It's something I'm spending more time researching lately.

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