The Importance of Being Well-read

I am a fanatic over books. Just as Budget Tai Tai had been exposed to them since young, I too got started on books at a young age. I remember fondly my Sundays with my family at Centrepoint. My parents used to leave me at Times the bookshop for a few hours while I read my way through the books, from mysteries to cookery books. As an adult, I now never fail to bring at least 1 to 2 books when I go out. They help me pass the time as I wait for my friend, or tide over the self-consciousness I feel while alone.

Reading what she wrote on people smugly remarking that they do not read, irks me. How can reading be regarded as a childish pursuit? It is really an intellectual and elite activity, depending on the type of books read. Then again, I notice most locals tend to browse the magazines rather than fiction books in bookshops. Is there no inkling of reading for pleasure in their minds? Are they so consumed with work that they do not know how to take a break from the real world? If this is so, it is rather sad.

The article disturbed me further with the narration of an unimaginative and narrow-minded teacher restricting the writing content of her student. What is wrong with "Fancy that!" as part of the ending to a story? She had learnt that phrase from a storybook. It is definitely not "irrelevant" as the teacher labelled. She was merely applying what she had read and there was no justification for the teacher to put her down like that. It will cause the girl to be hesitant about showing creativity in her essays in the future. It will be the teacher's fault for having quelled her creativity. I agree with Budget Tai Tai's opinion on the teacher thinking that the student should confine her reading material to textbooks. This makes the teacher seem inflexible. Indeed, this will affect the reading habits of the girl as she gets older.

This reminds me of an incident I was privy to. A mother wanted to cultivate the reading habit in her son and so chose books for him to read. She however, chose books based on grammar and forced him to read them. One can learn proper grammar from reading stories too. Besides, it is boring for children to read such books at that age. They should be allowed to read whatever they genre they like and then select their favourites, as I was given leeway to do.