My son HATES to read. However, he does read at grade level and his comprehension is good. His language arts/reading teacher (he is 12- in 7th grade) expects them to do silent reading for 30 minutes in class, and then read at home for at least 30 minutes a night. This is all in addition to homework in her and well as other classes. We had tried having him read at bedtime, but, by then, he is totally sick of school and homework as are we. Last night, I went in his room and he was reading, but he had his headphones on and was listening to a CD. I am torn between being fairly certain he is not absorbing anything while listening to the music and wanting to just leave it alone and hope at some point something will catch his attention to where he will WANT to read further. This is supposed to be reading for pleasure, but it has been more of a nightmare. I am worried that he is going to hate reading even more if he continues to have this ongoing pressure. What do you all think.
Got some responses on the Parenting board— thanks!