Do young people really read? It seems to be the big question among most college professors, as to whether or not their students actually take the time to read. Last night for homework, my class and I were assigned to read They Don't Read, an article by Rob Weir, which states a main issue with college students, is that they simply just don't read! I found this statement interesting, because I know my high school focused largely on a reading curriculum; so to say that I came to college without a strong background in reading would be a lie. Now the question as to if my fellow peers actually read, is a different story.

            Many young people claim they have much better things to be doing other than reading a book about something they don’t care about in the first place, what with our cell phones, T.V’s, iPods, and computers, who would want to sit down and read? The issue that Rob Weir identifies is that college students seem to be repulsed by the idea of reading, because they never had to. He address that “There’s been no Golden Age of student reading in my lifetime”, meaning that it was never a complete necessity for him to read in school. I think Weir makes a good point that students don’t often read thoroughly and enjoy whatever it is that has been assigned to them, but at the same time I don’t think it’s fair to blame the lack of reading/writing excellence on the students disinterest in the subjects, I think for that we must look to the way it was taught to them in the first place. In this article Weir points out that educators should provide their students with the appropriate materials, meaning that what’s interesting to them may not be interesting to their students, and it's important to realize this.

            Weir understands that students are not thrilled to be reading the material covered in most classrooms, but he believes that when students are asked to write about what they read, it sparks a better outcome in what they take from the assignment. Weir says “Writing assignments help ensure reading (and kill two birds with one stone)" referring to helping the overall improvement in both reading and writing skills. 

            Overall though, I agree with Weir. I agree that there should be a better balance between the teaching and learning when it comes to reading and writing, because to be able to write in a well-organized manner, we must first be able to read and understand the information we have been given.