By: Alex Estes [Co-Yearbook Editor]

Reading and writing has always helped adults and children alike to further their education and become more articulate in the way that they speak. Without writing and reading, technology would not have progressed and humanity would still be living in the dark ages. Although most people read posts online off of Twitter or Facebook, it is still vital to pick up a book, or write a small story in a notebook.

Sarah Doyle, Marion High School English teacher, is very passionate about literature and writing. “I can say, one reason reading is important is because people should experience different parts of life without having to be exposed to it,” Doyle said. A student who has spent their life in a suburb would have no idea what it is like any place other than that, and it is so important for people to be educated about other areas of the world so they do not ignorantly offend another person. It is impossible to get the same kind of education that a book can give from a movie or television show, because reading forces one to see a different world in their mind’s eye. “Both [reading and writing] teach people to think with high quality thinking,” Doyle said, “people are forced to examine their own experiences and others’.”

Reading can also help a person who is going through a rough patch in their life, or someone who just needs a change from the monotony of daily life. “[Books aid in] escaping reality to think about what could be possible,” Doyle said, “books make me think about something fictional and fantastical.”

Although reading is a very stimulating activity and can lead one to a fun world, it is widely rejected among teenagers and is seen as being uncool. “It partially has to do with a social stigma, and fitting in,” said Doyle, “because it’s somehow cool to not work hard.” The constant decline in teens who read could be blamed on many new gadgets or inventions, that are meant to do good, but it is more important to get people to read than to find out what is causing people not to read.

No matter what happens in the future, reading and writing are still the main components in building civilization; and they will still open one’s mind to something they would have never fathomed or been able to think about before.