Learning to Read After You Have Learned to Read

It wasn’t until late in life and well into my academic career that I learned to read.  I mean, really actively read.  I already knew how to read words on pages in books, but it took years for me to learn how to affectively read to learn and retain ideas.

As many children did, I grew up with books and reading.  I read Dr. Seuss, Dick and Jane books and grew up with a set of encyclopedias. (Yes, I am that old.)  I visited both the school library as well as the public library.  I loved ordering books from the flyers that came home from school. I had a little bookshelf in my room and it was always full.

I never truly struggled in school.  I read the textbooks I was supposed to read, did the research I was supposed to do and wrote the papers I was supposed to write.  I was never a brilliant student, just average.  I passed my classes, never worried that I wouldn’t.  I loved the thickness and the weight of the textbooks.  They never really intimidated me.  Not every book interested me, but I found interesting things.  So my high school career was average.  Sports, friends, and extracurricular activities were always on tap because there was no need to hunker down at home and study.  Also, keeping in mind the curriculum in my day was nowhere as strenuous as it is today.

So off to college I went.  There was no question about whether I would attend college, I just always knew I would.  My grades were good enough to get accepted to the University of Texas in Austin.  In my day, as I believe it still is today, a prestigious Texas school.  I had no worries, I greatly anticipated starting classes and experiencing college.

It did not take long to realize just how different things were going to be in comparison to high school.  First, the class size was startling.  A class of 300 students was in sharp contrast to my small town high school class of 20.  I knew nobody in class compared with knowing everyone for years in high school.   And what I came to realize in the weeks that followed, having to make a concerted effort to even meet the professors was a necessary task.  But even with all of that, the real challenge for me came with the severe adjustment to how one was to study and in particular, read.

When you are told what you need to know in order to pass a test, as was the case in high school, I could read, find that specific information and retain it for the test (usually the next day).  Suddenly I had to read 4 or 5 chapters from textbooks and retain all that information because in college, they don’t tell you what is on the test.  You must know it all.  An in order to read all that was covered, it took days and weeks of reading. So I suddenly discovered I could not read something two or three weeks before a test and retain the information.  Needless to say, I did not do well my first semester at college.

Luckily for me, the school offered many resources for its students.  After taking a couple of time management and study habits classes, I picked up a few new habits and found what I now consider my favorite study tool: the highlighter.  While some may be able to just read and retain information, I was not one of them.  I needed a way to make that information significant and make some information stand out format he other such as main points, key words, dates and people. I learned to highlight passages, to underline information to focus on, make notes in margins and keep a notebook nearby to take notes while reading.  All these things I never had to do and never realize just how beneficial it could be!

Anyone who knows me well, knows how I read. The only time I don’t have writing utensils (pen, pencil, highlights) while reading is if I might be reading a novel.  Otherwise, for school, work, personal development, bible study or any other reason I want to know and understand the material.  I am often the butt of jokes from my kids about writing a book while I am reading a book due to how much I mark and write while I read.  But for me, it keeps me actively involved in the information I am trying to retain. Not everyone needs to “actively” read, but for me, I can read no other way.