Going through a textbook is not the only way to teach and learn. There are multiple ways of teaching and learning, and they come in different packages. For me, a useful teaching and learning package is reading newspapers.

As a language teacher, I use newspapers as much as I can in my classroom activity and encourage my students to read them regularly. All newspapers tend to include a certain portion of the school curriculum.

For example, you find crosswords, news reports, condolences, travelogues, advertisements, posters, views and opinions on current issues, film and book reviews and so on, which are currentand informative. So newspapers are important for both teachers and students.

A newspaper enables students to be creative, analytical and critical. It allows students to view everything from a different perspective. Speaking from my own experience, I have found students who read newspapers to be more creative, better critical thinkers and writers.

Reading newspapers regularly disciplines and broadens our horizon about life. Similarly, information about diverse fields is possible only through newspapers.

A newspaper includes national and international news and views on politics, economy and the arts, which are updated daily. What’s more, it helps lessen the time students will spend on electronic gadgets, social sites and unnecessary chats.

Every morning, students go through a newspaper in school.

It is mandatory for each class to manage newspapers every day.

But students don’t know how to read a newspaper. We should, therefore, encourage and develop their reading habit.

Textbook reading culture among students is very poor nowadays. Everything is available at the touch of a finger.

However, technology cannot be as pleasant to our eyes and mind as a printed form of the newspaper. Newspapers can be useful supplementary reading materials for students. To develop a newspaper reading habit in the students, schools can schedule a certain period for reading papers only every day.

Also parents can create such an environment for their children at home.

Some people blame newspapers for giving too much space to political news and views. But politics should be understood by all regardless of whether we have an interest in it or not.

Everybody should be aware about a country’s politics as good policies come from politics.

For students, some knowledge about politics is important even today they are readers, but tomorrow they could be leaders.

Let’s develop a newspaper reading habit in us and in the students because, as Aristotle said, ‘‘Excellence is not an act but a habit’’.