Reading Revisited

Reading, hmmmm.
I tweaked that nerve a bit already. I would rather read than do anything else. Reading along with good music is heaven on earth. It is a creative process which requires the mind to develop scenery, characters and events. I guess the more imaginative and creative you are the more you would find reading a delicious thing to do.
Do I think it is becoming a lost art. Well, let me put it this way, Google is contemplating putting complete books online. I would guess that would be to accommodate the reading public. That may possibly be because the little square electronic devices humans have devised are more attractive than the little square written pages humans have written. I know my kids spend way more time in front of an electronic square than paper ones. My daughter used to love to read, now she spends her time enjoying things other peoples minds have imagined and created, My son told me he likes other people's imaginations better than his own. I'm deeply saddened by this. He likes plays and art, so he is not without culture. He is as fond of music, but books are a pass for him.
In the classroom I do notice a few students who are enjoying the art of reading, so it may not be a complete wash. I do believe as a classroom tool, students who read will also master writing and the language in general.
Historically reading has been a device to aid in the adaptation of conquered nations to the new culture of the conquering nations. Nebudchanezzar was the king of Babylon. He was a strategic master of early military tactics. As a state Babylon was advanced in many ways. Women had rights, such as the ability to own land and divorce useless husbands and still retain control of their possessions. They (the Babylonians) were advanced in mathematics, and we use a form of calendar developed by the Babylonians. They were huge on literature. When a nation was captured Nebudchanezzar assimilated the people he took captive by various means. One tactic he used was to put the best and brightest of his captives into positions of power. In order to indoctrinate these young people to the culture the first thing these youths were required to do was learn the language and the literature of the culture they were now a part of. Literature is more than books, it is the story of nations, cultures and whole of humanity. So it goes.
Here is a web site I was discussing earlier. http://www.EffectiveTeaching.com It is by Harry K. Wong. It's a great resource in case you haven't been exposed to it yet.
Bye for now, I've really babyldon. Love, Love, Love to read, go get'em meanie.