The Nation’s Report Card released that in September of 2025, the average reading scores for high school students had reached their lowest level since 1992; a newer study from the University of Florida and College London has found that reading daily for pleasure in the United States has declined by more than 40% in the past 20 years. Numerous studies report that our nation as a whole has fallen into a knowledge drought due to a lack of reading for pleasure. To many, reading feels like a chore that holds no significant value, when, on the contrary, there are extraordinary benefits. To name a few: expansion of knowledge and vocabulary, mental simulation, improved focus and memory, and free entertainment. 

  If reading is so important, why is the lack of it so drastic? Eric Gutjhar, a math teacher and track and cross country coach, explains that, “there’s so much that can pull people away from reading. Reading takes time and energy, and you have to be able to imagine things. And with technology today, it’s much easier not to.”

  Gutjar holds reading in high regard, as it was an important part of his childhood. He explained that his mother was a librarian, so as a child, he would spend his summers in the library. This value carried over into his future academics. Gutjar says he took a high school class called Reading for Enjoyment, where he read 35 novels. He explains, “I read a variety of things. I read some classic novels, like ‘Lord of the Flies.’ I read some philosophy, like Marcus Aurelius. I read some great John Irving books that were just great fiction.” Gutjhar’s love for reading trickled down to his children. He says he started reading novels to his sons when they were four years old, and that they have probably read 150 novels together. Because of this, his children still love to read and choose to do so in their free time, even as they’ve gotten older. 

  Gutjar explains why reading is so significant: “number one, you’ve got to be able to get information out, but number two, just that exploration of what it means to be human and the ability to create visuals in your head by reading stories. All of that imagination, it’s all really important.” 

  Challenge yourself to immerse yourself in a novel and allow yourself to imagine, think, and disconnect from technology by reading, as there is so much value in this dwindling art.