--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mid-grade readers don't have short…" description: "\"Mid-grade readers don't have short attention spans, they just have low boredom tolerance.\" — Judith Viorst" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b73/judith-viorst-3988_attention_mid-grade-readers-don-t-have-short-atten_1614260.png" --- # Mid-grade readers don't have short attention spans, they… ![“Mid-grade readers don't have short attention spans, they just have low boredom tolerance.” quote by Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b73/judith-viorst-3988_attention_mid-grade-readers-don-t-have-short-atten_1614260.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b73/judith-viorst-3988_attention_mid-grade-readers-don-t-have-short-atten_1614260.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b73/judith-viorst-3988_attention_mid-grade-readers-don-t-have-short-atten_1614260.png) > “Mid-grade readers don't have short attention spans, they just have low boredom tolerance.” [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children labeled as having short attention spans often simply have low tolerance for boredom, not a deficit in focus. **In simple terms:** Kids get bored quickly, not inattentive. Key Takeaway Engage children with stimulating content. Themes education patience attention Mood thoughtful practical Type advice observational When to use this quote - classroom teaching - reading time - parent‑child interaction - educational design Key Concepts boredom tolerance learning styles Questions to Reflect On - How can you increase engagement? - What activities sustain interest? A Different Perspective Some kids may truly have attention disorders. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Attention span](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention-span/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Boredom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boredom/) [Short attention spans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-attention-spans/) [Tolerance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolerance/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Land of snap decisions, land of short attention spans, nothing is savored long enough to really understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/land-of-snap-decisions-land-of-short-attention-spans-nothing-is/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [The ultimate pitch for an era of short attention spans begins with a single word - and doesn't go any further.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/the-ultimate-pitch-for-an-era-of-short-attention-spans-begins-with-a/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [I want people to be drawn into the space of the work. And a lot of people are like me in that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/i-want-people-to-be-drawn-into-the-space-of-the-work-and-a-lot-of/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [Do you know why language manifests itself the way it does in my work? It's because I understand short attention spans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kruger/do-you-know-why-language-manifests-itself-the-way-it-does-in-my-work/) [Barbara Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kruger/) > [I have a very low boredom threshold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-kravits/i-have-a-very-low-boredom-threshold/) [Garth Kravits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-kravits/) > [Sex is the most natural thing in the world. When I'm in a relationship, I like lots of it. I like to be swept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-minogue/sex-is-the-most-natural-thing-in-the-world-when-i-m-in-a-relationship/) [Kylie Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-minogue/) > [Sometimes many publishers prefer that you write the same book every time, but I have a low boredom threshold so that isn't going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/sometimes-many-publishers-prefer-that-you-write-the-same-book-every/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I have a really low boredom threshold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-have-a-really-low-boredom-threshold/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I guess I have a short attention span! 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Two of them went in the trash and got stomped on because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/i-actually-sat-down-and-started-three-alexanders-at-the-same-time-two/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [I don't intend to stop showing a little cleavage. Nor do I intend to stop flashing a little thigh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/i-don-t-intend-to-stop-showing-a-little-cleavage-nor-do-i-intend-to/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [as we acquire new aches and new pains, our health care is, of necessity, being supplied by internists, cardiologists, dermatologists, podiatrists, urologists, periodontists, gynecologists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/as-we-acquire-new-aches-and-new-pains-our-health-care-is-of-necessity/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [There is a time to separate from our mother. 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He's not nearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/i-didn-t-really-notice-that-he-had-a-funny-nose-and-he-certainly/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [I had lived with my mother in anger and love - I suppose most daughters do - but my children only knew her in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/i-had-lived-with-my-mother-in-anger-and-love-i-suppose-most-daughters/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [Love is when you realize that he's as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/love-is-when-you-realize-that-he-s-as-sexy-as-woody-allen-as-smart-as/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [We will have to give up the hope that, if we try hard, we somehow will always do right by our children. The connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/we-will-have-to-give-up-the-hope-that-if-we-try-hard-we-somehow-will/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [Recognize joy when it arrives in the plain brown wrappings of everyday life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/recognize-joy-when-it-arrives-in-the-plain-brown-wrappings-of/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [“Strength is the capacity to break a Hershey bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/strength-is-the-capacity-to-break-a-hershey-bar-into-four-pieces-with/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [The best I can do is, it's like a 'ding!' You're writing, and then something starts falling into place, and you hear or feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/the-best-i-can-do-is-it-s-like-a-ding-you-re-writing-and-then/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [Don't let anything sneak past you. Don't say, 'Well, oh, I'll take a picture and put it in my photograph album.' I notice it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/don-t-let-anything-sneak-past-you-don-t-say-well-oh-i-ll-take-a/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [We lost not only through death, but also by leaving and being left, by changing and letting go and moving on. And our losses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/we-lost-not-only-through-death-but-also-by-leaving-and-being-left-by/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [Not listening is probably the commonest unkindness of married life, and one that creates - more devastatingly than an eternity of forgotten birthdays and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/not-listening-is-probably-the-commonest-unkindness-of-married-life/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [Because we believe ourselves to be better parents than our parents, we expect to produce better children than they produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/because-we-believe-ourselves-to-be-better-parents-than-our-parents-we/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) [Explore all 118 Judith Viorst quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Mid-grade readers don't have short attention spans, they just have low boredom tolerance.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Judith Viorst" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/mid-grade-readers-don-t-have-short-attention-spans-they-just-have-low/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/mid-grade-readers-don-t-have-short-attention-spans-they-just-have-low/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b73/judith-viorst-3988_attention_mid-grade-readers-don-t-have-short-atten_1614260.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b73/judith-viorst-3988_attention_mid-grade-readers-don-t-have-short-atten_1614260.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b73/judith-viorst-3988_attention_mid-grade-readers-don-t-have-short-atten_1614260.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Mid-grade readers don't have short attention spans, they just have low boredom tolerance.” — Judith Viorst", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Judith Viorst", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Mid-grade readers don't have short attention...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/mid-grade-readers-don-t-have-short-attention-spans-they-just-have-low/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/mid-grade-readers-don-t-have-short-attention-spans-they-just-have-low/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```