> Just as important, although most youngsters are self-motivated when it comes to what Kaiser terms "entertainment media," far fewer will take the initiative to

> Just as important, although most youngsters are self-motivated when it comes to what Kaiser terms "entertainment media," far fewer will take the initiative to learn more geometry or rules of grammar on their own. Funny they should bring up grammar. I never paid attention when English classes tried to teach grammar at me. I just absorbed it from books, osmotically. I did this voluntarily, and so did every kid who's ever picked up a Harry Potter book to find out what all the fuss is about. After that, every English class before college was redundant. It's easier when it's fun. Schools are going about this all wrong; if they can make people enjoy reading, half their problems would vanish. So here's a modest proposal: have reading classes in which people are encouraged to read anything, and given a selection of stuff that a lot of people like. Harry Potter, Twilight (hold your nose; it's popular), Heinlein, steamy romance novels, whatever. And make sure some of it is sexually explicit; not only does sex sell, but it's probably going to be a much more mature treatment of the subject than the kids will hear from their friends. Devote at least an hour each day (preferably more) to reading, and during this time, leave the students alone. Don't assign a schedule, don't test for reading comprehension, don't be a dick; just let them read whatever they want. I predict that this will easily do more to improve language skills than Saturday classes or abolishing summer break.