Despite the fact that most teachers encourage students to read both inside and outside the classroom, often the latter of the two is neglected. In many cases, this can cause issues for students down the road, particularly in higher-level English classes.

According to an article from The Atlantic, “many middle schools and high schools are teaching less full books,” primarily due to “a change in values,” Rose Horowitch, the article’s author, said.

There has been a shift in the past few years away from analog teaching towards more digital formats, enhanced by the popularity of social media. This change in social norms has caused many teenagers to stop reading altogether in their free time, even when they have the opportunity to do so. Many instead shift their attention to their phones, ignoring the academic and emotional benefits that come with reading.

Reading books solely for school is not enough. Engaging with books outside of the curriculum strengthens your vocabulary, expands your knowledge about a variety of topics and helps with both reading and writing inside of the classroom. It even provides a stronger basis for college curriculums, which often expect students to read an entire book within a week.

“It’s not that they don’t want to do the reading,” Horowitch said. “It’s that they don’t know how.”

Authors often have different writing styles, many of them containing vocabulary terms that can be applied to a variety of assignments, including essays, paragraphs and other writing tasks. It can even be helpful in the case of studying for standardized tests, for which it is essential to have a strong vocabulary and comprehension of sentence structures.

Knowledge of outside topics can also be greatly increased through reading. Reading genres such as historical fiction, biographies and self-help books can expose you to new ideas and other people’s experiences. It can also help you to widen your knowledge of concepts and general information.

Reading is a great way to spend time outside of school, as it can be a fun way to learn new things, including increasing vocabulary, exposure to new ideas and developing skills inside and outside the classroom. If you ever find yourself with too much time on your hands and nothing to do, consider diving into a good book.