Mouth of the River

During my time at Oyster River High School (ORHS), I’ve noticed a surprising trend: the older I get, the less I read. It’s not because I dislike reading; it’s actually the opposite. But somewhere between freshman and senior year, reading quietly disappeared from my school day and my free time.  

 Between homework, sports, extracurriculars, and everything else that comes with being a high schooler, reading has become something I want to do, but I rarely find the time to do. Lately I’ve realized I’m not the only one feeling this way, which raised a bigger question for me: how does reading actually help high schoolers, and should we be finding more time to read in our busy schedules?  

 During my attempt to answer this question, I talked to Nora Rogers (‘26), who spoke about how drained many students feel after a busy day. “The last thing I want to do after getting home from thinking all day is thinking more,” she said. Rogers said she’d rather sit and watch videos on social media, because when she tried to read, she “kept re-reading the same page over and over.”  

 Rogers’ point highlights a major challenge for many high schoolers. After sitting in class all day, working and taking in information, our attention spans feel stretched thin. So, is it really worth putting our brains through what some people may call more “stress” to read?  

 The answer comes from understanding what reading really does for us. While phones and social media give us constant stimulation, reading works in a different way. It makes the brain slow down, focus, and imagine, which are all skills that I feel like I’ve lost with less reading.  

 According to a study titled “Teens Today Spend More Time on Digital Media, Less Time Reading” done by the American Psychological Association, recently, less than 20% of U.S. teens report reading for pleasure. We seem to be losing touch with these skills we could have.  

 Although the study reports less reading for pleasure, some students still find time, because it helps them feel grounded. Abby Roy (‘28) still makes time to read for fun, and she explained why she reads. “Social media allows you to have a very short attention span and lets you see information very quickly, and while a book takes longer, it helps you maintain your attention span,” she said.  

 Roy’s point highlights something students often don’t notice. Reading isn’t just an academic skill, it’s mental training for many parts of life.  

 So, why does reading matter? From the academic side, Alicha Smith, a paraeducator at ORHS, notices the impact daily. “Reading is a skill you’ll use throughout your whole life,” she said. “I’ve noticed that students who read outside of school find it so much easier to analyze [assignments for class].”  

 Smith also noted that if students are reading regularly, longer reading assignments – and class assignments in general – will feel less difficult.  

 Research backs Smith’s point up. Students today seem to be losing touch with skills we used to have, like reading comprehension, as Kara Sullivan, ORHS English teacher, noted. The University of Cambridge analyzed the benefits of reading early in life and found that it is linked to better performance on tests that measured verbal learning, memory, and speech development. This study, titled “Reading For Pleasure Early in Childhood Linked to Better Cognitive Performance and Mental Wellbeing in Adolescence” also found that reading more is linked to higher academic achievement.  

 As Sullivan mentioned, she has seen students more recently having a challenging time understanding books that she says are not particularly difficult. Sullivan says this may be due to the fact that students are not taking as much time to read now as they did a few years ago. Similarly to Smith, Sullivan said that students who read more books find it much easier to understand vocabulary in her class-assigned books like Literature and the Land, making it easier for them to do well in the class.  

 This is why having more reading built into our curriculum, and our lives, matters. Not as heavy homework assignments but as consistent time with books. Smith also notes that sometimes students will struggle with class material because it isn’t taught in a way that feels relevant. “Sometimes the material turns students off. We’ve been teaching the same books for decades. For example, To Kill a Mockingbird has a modern version called The Hate U Give and since it’s set recently, students would relate to it so much more.” Smith says using this book could help students understand themes across time periods. Rogers adds that when teachers guide discussions, older books can become clearer and more interesting.  

 I’ve enjoyed reading in a few of my English classes. For me, it becomes easier to have fun reading a book if I’m interested in the content of the book or the topic of class. If students find a class that sounds interesting from the many literature classes ORHS offers, they may have a much easier time reading, and the class could help them connect to a book, which could help strengthen their reading comprehension. With the vast options of classes, ORHS offers, some not even literature-based, it’s easy to find a class where a student could begin to find reading fun.  

 So, the answer to my original question? There are a lot of reasons reading helps high schoolers, in ways we sometimes don’t even notice. The answer to the second part of my question (should we be making more time for reading) I think is yes, but not forcing it when everything is too busy. Reading shouldn’t be a stressor; it doesn’t have to be something that feels forced into a busy schedule.  

Reading can be a great way to escape into another world. For me, I can read and imagine what the world looks like in that book, and that makes me want to continue. Roy put it perfectly: “My favorite part about reading is that it lets you live another life. My great-grandmother wrote a poem about reading. ‘You can’t be a thousand people, but you can read a thousand books.’” 

-Riley Duggan