I had begun listing some common reasons that children and adults alike state that they do not enjoy reading. When looking over those common reasons there are things that teachers can do to help with all of them. While teachers cannot force students to enjoy reading, they can encourage children to read.
In this article I will begin discussing the things that teachers can do to address the reasons why children claim they do not like to read.
The first reason was due to painful eyes and headaches. When child complains of eye burring or headaches during reading, further investigation is required. Teachers should notify parents about a possible trip to the eye doctor for an exam. There is also a good possibility of scotopic sensitivity syndrome which was discussed earlier. In this case teachers can try having children use reading overlays.
The next excuse given for not wanting to read is that children feared being embarrassed by peers. Older children especially have a lot of peer pressure and pressure to fit in with a certain group. They have anxiety about being put on the spot for any reason. To help aide in this excuse, teachers should not force their students to read aloud. It is a better method to ask for volunteers (there will always be some). Encourage all students to read aloud and deter and do not accept any laughing, snickering, or noise from other students. When a student will not read aloud, read with that student privately. In time the child will develop the confidence to read in front of others.
Some teachers feel that students must read aloud in class. However there really is no reason why all students should be required to. Often teachers choose students who are not paying attention to read. These children can be embarrassed and upset from being called on and not knowing the page or where to start. Instead of embarrassing these students call on a student sitting beside of the daydreamer to read. The student will then perk up and get back on track without feeling bad.