Your Freedom to Read is protected by Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Your Freedom to Read is also in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Find out more:
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Should teachers set aside time during the school day for kids to read for pleasure?
Yes.
Should schools do more to encourage kids to become recreational readers?
Yes.
Will there be enough of a payoff for our education system even if it means less time spent on other things?
Yes.
The answer to all these questions is most certainly yes.
Reading for pleasure, recreational reading, free voluntary reading, personal reading– whatever you want to call it– is built upon the intrinsic goal of reading because it directly benefits the reader: Reading for the sake of reading. Yet there are myriad indirect benefits that come from recreational reading, many of which lead to profoundly positive educational outcomes.
A teacher should care that a student reads for pleasure, because reading brings pleasure to the student! However, more than that, a teacher can also point to so many other benefits that come from recreational reading that will pay off in terms of academic achievement, social learning and character education.
If teachers (or parents, or administrators) are worried that the kids are missing out on valuable educational lessons, please remember this: Students who read more for pleasure will do better in school. Recreational reading has many, many indirect educational benefits to students. Students who do more recreational reading will see improvements in vocabulary, writing skills, grammar, spelling, comprehension, critical thinking, concentration and so many other skills that are essential to one’s overall education.
Moreover, students who read more for pleasure will grow in social and emotional learning, as students can share in the experiences of different people, growing in empathy and understanding for people all backgrounds, ages, genders, orientations, beliefs and cultures.
As if those weren’t enough reasons for reading, here are some more. Reading books can help mitigate against the harmful effects of too much time spent on phones and in front of other screens. One simple and yet important example of this is that studies show that people who read from books or magazines before bed will sleep better than those who are looking at screens before trying to fall asleep.
There are so many reasons to read.
Schools need to do more to encourage kids to read for reading’s sake. In doing so, the school will reap the rewards of having kids who do better in school.
October is International School Library Month
and Canadian Library Month.
The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
Surrey Teens Read Nominee 2019-20
Check out this book and all 10 titles nominated for Surrey Teens Read. Come down to borrow one of our copies. You can also find out more about STR by clicking here: SurreyTeensRead
Check out some of the new Fiction titles available at your school library:
Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen
Check out this book and all 10 titles nominated for Surrey Teens Read. Come down to borrow one of our copies. You can also find out more about STR by clicking here: SurreyTeensRead
As October draws to a close, so does International School Library Month and Canadian Library Month. We hope you learned something about the vital role that libraries play in our country, and that school libraries play in education around the globe. Most importantly, we hope you were able to celebrate the wonderful gift of libraries by visiting some, including your local public library, and especially, your school library.
Come down to see us in person, or visit online– even though October is ending, you can make use of your school library all year long.
Today you have been challenged by the BCTF and BCTLA to Drop Everything and Read! The DEAR Challenge is issued every year for BC School Library Day, in conjunction with Canadian Library Month and International School Library Month.
Every person in British Columbia, including every student and every teacher, is challenged to drop everything else and read a book. Read for pleasure. Read for entertainment. Read for knowledge. Read for escape. Read for experiencing other places, other times, other lives. Read for the joy of it.
There are so many reasons to read.
Drop Everything and Read! 
In keeping with the continuing celebration of all things library during International School Library Month and Canadian Library Month, here are some links to some interesting library themed content. Enjoy!
October is International School Library Month
and Canadian Library Month.
Why read for pleasure?
Reason #1: Pleasure
There are countless reasons why people read. And there are countless ways that reading for pleasure can bring you pleasure.
People read to be entertained.
People read to escape.
People read to be pulled into a story.
People read to laugh.
People read to cry.
People read to be scared.
People read to be amazed.
People read to experience other times.
People read to experience other places.
People read to share in the experiences of other people.
People read to learn something.
People read to relax.
People read to get motivated.
People read to be inspired.
People read to be thrilled.
People read to understand.
People read to be challenged.
People read to be reassured.
People read to see something new.
People read to see something familiar.
People read for so many reasons.
People read and they don’t know why, they just like it.
Visit your school library to find a book to read for pleasure– that is the #1 reason we are here!
October is International School Library Month
and Canadian Library Month.
I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall
Check out this book and all 10 titles nominated for Surrey Teens Read. Come down to borrow one of our copies. You can also find out more about STR by clicking here: SurreyTeensRead
Looking for a comfy, quiet place to read?
Come to our Reading Room in the School Library.
October is International School Library Month
and Canadian Library Month.
Ziggy Marley was born on this day in 1968. One of the children of reggae legend Bob Marley, Ziggy would go on to become a famous musician in his own right. Many might disagree, but some feel his best work was “Believe in Yourself.”
“Believe in Yourself” is the theme song for “Arthur” the beloved animated program based on the books by Marc Brown.
ISLM and CLM Connections: Arthur gave us a library anthem, the “Library Card Song.”
