View From the Legislature

Every February, schools and libraries around the province make plans to promote and celebrate “I Love to Read Month.” And every year this special month is given a theme on which activities and reading plans can be built. This year for I Love to Read Month, the theme that has been selected is, “Moving Forward with Hope.” It is a theme that would have significant meaning at any time, but perhaps no more so than these days.

Reading has long been understood to have a number of education and health benefits. It is the foundation on which almost all learning takes place. It is important in developing creative thinking, improving concentration, and helping to expand our minds and understanding.

Reading is also something that is generally an accessible activity. And in a time when there are many things that we have seen cancelled, the accessibility of reading is important. While students often think of reading as an academic exercise, often followed by having to complete reports and essays, for all ages of readers it helps open the world in a way that truly puts it at your fingertips. There are countless studies that show the benefit of reading on an individuals mental health and in reducing stress. In that way, the theme of Moving Forward with Hope can have many different meanings as it touches on so many of the struggles and difficulties of the day.

Reading is also one of the activities that can bring families together. It often becomes a bedtime tradition for young families and serves the purpose of both creating good reading habits and bringing families closer together. Personally, I have always had a love of reading. Although much of my reading these days is simply work related, I still try to find time for non work-related reading for many of the beneficial reasons already mentioned.

Every year during I Love to Read Month I deliver books to the schools in my constituency. School librarians provide book suggestions that they feel would be a welcomed addition to their school library. It is always interesting to see the books that are chosen, and they are sometimes a window into what this generation of students are thinking. I am grateful for the time that local librarians take in selecting books and for the activities that they created during this month. Most importantly, we are all grateful for the work that they and all those in our education system do to foster a lifelong love of reading, and all the benefits that follow for our students and communities.

On this I Love to Read Month, we can all benefit from reading and from Moving Forward with Hope.