Greg Lucas: Here’s an easy resolution
Looking for a truly transformative New Year’s resolution that’s unbelievably fun and super easy to stick to?Read.
Books. Magazines. Newspapers. Flyers. On-line. On a park bench. In clouds. In libraries. Paper. Parchment. Braille.
Just read.
Any number of amazing things stem from reading. Not the least of which is gaining a better understanding of the world around us.
If there’s anything this world needs, it’s more understanding.
Read and change the world.
Reading also makes us healthier.
Reading reduces stress, improves relationships and can protect against Alzheimer’s. Adults whose spare time involves creative or intellectual activities – like reading – have a 32 percent slower rate of cognitive decrease than those who don’t, according to a 2013 study by Chicago researchers in Neurology.
Researchers in Great Britain made participants engage in an “anxiety-promoting” experience. Those who then read for a few minutes had stress levels drop by 67 percent, a higher percentage than those who listened to music or played a video game to unwind.
Reading can conjure happy memories. Immersing yourself in the lives of characters makes you more empathetic. It can be easier to overcome your own obstacles by reading about someone overcoming theirs.
The benefits of reading for young kids are well-documented.
The U.S. Department of Education says that helping a kid “become a reader is the single most important thing that you can do to help the child to succeed in school — and in life.”
Not only does reading help children in all academic subjects, the department says, reading is also “the key to lifelong learning.”
The consequences for kids who don’t read are tragic:
Less proficient readers are more likely to be high school dropouts. Two-thirds of students who aren’t proficient readers by the end of fourth grade end up incarcerated or on welfare.
The U.S. Department of Justice says, “The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure.”
Reading also makes you richer. The math is elementary — greater reading comprehension equals a better-paying job.
Helping someone become a better reader is by far the most cost-effective investment of taxpayer dollars.
Boost someone’s reading proficiency and they’re far less likely to go to prison. A better reader will land a better-earning job and, by doing so, needs less government support. Higher wages means more tax revenue government can devote to other challenges.
Change the world. Change yourself: Resolve to read in 2016.
The Santa Cruz Public Libraries have plenty of options to choose from. The librarians who work there have plenty of ideas on which reading material might be of most interest to you. They’ll also have recommendations if you’re helping a little kiddo become a life-long learner by reading to them.
You can also help someone else learn to read better. There are literacy programs throughout the state. One-on-one volunteer literacy tutoring occurs at over 800 California libraries. All are eager for volunteers.
Your life will be changed along with that of the learner. What can be more transformative than that?
Greg Lucas is the state librarian.
Also available at http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/opinion/20151226/greg-lucas-heres-an-easy-resolution
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