As students grow older, most of them focus on their futures, taking up harder classes and extracurriculars. The rest of their free time is usually spent on their phones and social media. Readers at SCHS have noticed a decline in interest in reading for pleasure and by choice. For them, there is more to books than assigned readings and English essays.
An avid reader, freshman Djoni Muresan views books as a way to leave reality and escape into a different world.
“It lets you imagine yourself in a life completely different from your own,” Muresan said.
Freshman Azalea Bieber has noticed that many readers face stereotypes about their hobby. She finds herself frustrated at times with the abundance of assumptions about readers and books.
“I feel like if you say you like reading, most people assume, ‘Oh, you’re introverted. You’re shy. You’re a nerd,’” Bieber said. “I don’t feel like that has to be true. I feel like you can like reading and still like other things.”
Muresan agrees with the stigma of reading. He partially blames it on popular movies such as “Mean Girls” and “Legally Blonde” for making books seem uncool.
“All of them have shown reading to be an activity for nerds,” Muresan said. “That’s become a word to represent a group of people that are something you don’t want to be a part of.”
Bieber believes another reason for the decline in reading is because many non-readers pick up a lot of books that are wrong for them and stop enjoying reading as a whole because of the experience.
“I think the people who don’t read just need to try different books,” Bieber said.
Carol Bamsch, library media assistant at SCHS, has picked up her fair share of books that she ended up putting down. She encourages students to be okay with trying out a new book if they do not enjoy their current one.
“If you start reading it and you’re just not getting into it, there’s no reason to slog through it,” Bamsch said.
Bamsch acknowledged the fact that many high schoolers have also stopped reading because of their busy schedules. She believes that phones and social media are used so often because there is no time to take out anything less accessible.
“I think students’ times are so taken up that if they’re sitting around waiting for class, they can just pull out their phones or their laptops and watch something for a little while or listen to something for like ten minutes, twenty minutes,” Bamsch said.
Despite the challenges of school and limited time, Bieber argues that there is no excuse for the many students who spend their free time online when they could pick up a book instead.
“If you can find time to play video games, you can find time to read,” Bieber said.