Reading for Pleasure – What’s Your Big Ticket Tactic?

Our CEO gets rather hot under the collar when you talk to her about ‘reading for pleasure’. She wants every child to discover the joy in reading, and for families and communities to see the benefits which come from a culture of reading for pleasure. Here, Sarah shares her passionate plea, calling on school leaders and literacy lovers to come forward with their intervention suggestion.

“If there’s one thing which makes me really happy as a parent, it’s watching my daughter snuggle into the armchair and lose herself in a book….for pleasure.

As a teenager in high school, goodness only knows she’s having to read a great deal of content for academic purpose and for specific goals, but there’s something about reading for pleasure, which I know will swell her imagination and her capacity to digest new information and ideas.

We all know why reading for pleasure is important.

Whether we ourselves commit to doing it on a regular basis or not, we know the social and economic impact on communities where reading is made a priority – and we equally see the consequences where it is not.

We know too that the impact of reading to children can be seismic, and how it can play a key role in that young person’s subsequent development.

So how do we ensure that the very concept of reading for pleasure is a non-negotiable?

Every school in the land is determined to open up their students’ worlds to reading. From primary to high school, there are schools out there who are cleverly devising creative and cunning ways to instil a pleasure for reading in their student population.

But, on the whole, they're doing it in isolation.

This, to me, is the problem!

What if we looked at it collectively?

I'm proposing we look at reading for pleasure as a united and collaborative quest.

Today, I’m reaching out and asking you to be involved in my latest learning-led idea. I’d like each school to submit to my team here at Lexonik at least one idea that is currently in practice in respect of reading for pleasure in your school community, or is one you’re thinking about.

In turn, my team and I will gather all the suggestions and intervention ideas, and we’ll build these into a collaborative resource which everyone can access.

There will be no cost, no sign up, no hidden subscriptions – just one idea each.

If we all include our names and school names we can then give credit where credit's due and each be part of something that's greater than us as individuals.

Please take some time to consider being part of this.

It just takes one submission, your name and your school’s name.

All too often, we education and literacy lovers are doing things in isolation, forgetting the power of the collective. This is our chance to change that kind of culture.
Let’s build a powerful collaborative resource which really does have an impact on reading for pleasure.

If you’re interested, please do drop an email directly to me: [email protected]

Thank you.
I can’t wait to see your ideas.

Sarah.”