By Sara StrongWhether reading for pleasure or out of necessity, Nick Maras thinks that most people’s skills are lacking in efficiency.Maras, White Bear Lake, taught the first of two speed reading classes Saturday, when 17 people attended.Maras took a class in speed reading about 20 years ago when working on his master’s degree."I found I wasn’t a very good reader even though I had good grades. … But we had to read three to four books a week," Maras said.He had to read so much material that it was nearly impossible to fit into his schedule.When he took the class it became a sort of inspiration to continue his studies. "It became a hobby of mine," Maras said.He developed his program over the last 20 years and now reads 5,000 words per minute."It isn’t anything that’s new, but not many have been exposed to it, or know they can learn it," Maras said.The average reader takes in 250 words per minute, but by the end of the first class, can read up to 500 words a minute. By the end of the program, participants can read up to 1,800 words a minute.Maras said, "They are capable of reading double what they did without feeling like they are skimming and scanning or working too hard."The results are worth the class, Maras said. "I just think it’s a necessity that we all should learn."He taught speed reading to one Minnesota class for a semester — that class ended up with the state’s top SAT scores in reading."I think it’s something they should teach as a part of regular curriculum," Maras said.Part of what makes speed reading work, is that unnecessary words that don’t carry much meaning are eliminated. The class teaches participants to overcome obstacles to fast reading, such as re-reading certain words that the reader doesn’t understand.When readers have to concentrate more to get the message, they also retain the information better.Community Education will probably schedule another class with Maras, and is taking names of interested people to contact.
