This High School Teacher Says Her Students Don't Read Books Anymore

Does your teen read for pleasure? Do they even read for school? One teacher says that her high school students are totally checked out from the wonderful world of books, noting that there are several different factors to blame for the drop off in kids enjoying the act of reading — especially entire books and novels.

TikTok creator, Ms. C (@stillateacher) shared her disappointment in this realization.

“High schoolers just don't read books anymore. Let's talk about it. This topic has been on my mind all week because on Monday I handed a student a book for a new unit we're starting,” she explained.

She goes on to say that her student admitted to having never finished a book in their life. Other students chimed in, saying they related.

“We ended up having a really interesting discussion where students were asking me, ‘Do you read? Do you read every day? How many books have you read in your life? Can you remember all the books you read?’ And the most interesting question of all was, what is the point of reading a book if you're not going to remember it?”

“So, why haven't they read one before? I started asking kids in my other classes just for fun. When is the last time you read a book? The overwhelming majority of students said eighth grade. It is a known literacy statistic that students start losing interest in reading in middle school and high school. So even those who are like, avid readers of the Percy Jackson series in fourth and fifth grade fall off.

Despite their lack of reading, she says her students have been enjoying the book that the class is reading together. Next, she delves into her theories as to why kids just don’t take to reading like they used to, and yes, of course technology is one of those factors.

Increased pressure from outside activities, desire to hang with friends, and of course, phones all contribute to the lack of literacy in kids today. However, kids are not totally to blame here. In fact, Ms. C says adults need to own their part in all this.

“...adults have lowered the bar for how much you should read as a teenager. So far that the bar cannot be found. There are many educators who have the mindset that you shouldn't teach whole books because kids just won't read them,” she said.

“In the past, I've taught at schools where teaching novels is actually discouraged. And I have conversations with teachers in other content areas who say that they themselves never read books, that they don't think it's important for students' long-term success.”

She also notes that there is a stark difference between the kids who don’t read and the kids that do read.

“I'm telling you the handful of kids I teach who do read are built different. Kids who read have stronger critical thinking skills, more success across all academic areas, and honestly just a stronger sense of self because reading helps you figure out who you are as a person,” she explained.

Several parents chimed in on her video, agreeing that adults hinder their kid’s ability to read.

“My teen loves to read, and school is the biggest hindrance to her being able to read for pleasure. She has NO time. So much homework. She only reads on breaks. Even over TG she had a ton of homework,” one mom said.

“Reading becomes a burden when you're forced to read a bunch of textbooks first and when schools choose the most boring books to assign,” a student said.

In recent years, less than 20% of U.S. teens report reading a book, magazine, or newspaper daily for pleasure, while more than 80% say they use social media every day, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. Based on all the positive researching that has come out about kids who read versus all the negative effects of social media and tech on teens, aren’t our priorities a little mixed up here?