Tuesday Talks: Required Reading in School
Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!
Tuesday Talks is an wonderful group on Goodreads that is a weekly discussion forum created by BookTubers Janie Johnson and her pal, Janelle. It is a fun and active group to be a part of.
Unfortunately this group's weekly topic ended in 2017. I would like to carry on this tradition by stepping back in time to answer those weeks that I did not or creating new subjects.
This week's retro-question is: What Do You Think of Required Reading in School?
When I was a student, especially in middle school, I disliked required reading. It was not that I hated reading, because I was reading all the time. But it was mainly the fact that I was reading a book I had no interest in. Plus the fact that my grade for that quarter depended on doing this assignment made me very apprehensive.
It was not until I reached high school and college that I was seeing a change in required reading. The teachers would first explain a premise of a book to us. Then they would ask us if that premise would be something that we would be interested in. This approach worked better for me and my classmates, because we got to vote on a book that we would read. One of the hardest books to get through for me were books I had no interest in. There are many books out there that cover the same subject and teach the same lessons. I find it wise to give a choice rather than force a child to read something.
We were asked to read Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls in middle school. I finished it rather fast, but we were forced to read it aloud to one another in class. This bothered me, because I had finished it already and wished not to read it again. Another book I was forced to read was the Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I did not read the book, and handed in a report that I had a friend do for me for a handful of comics.
Teachers will sometimes feel a certain book is required reading because it teaches a valuable lesson. Others choose them due to popular vote done by the school administrators. While others will use popular culture to choose a book. In high school we read Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. This was daunting, but we liked the challenge of reading this play and translating it to fit modern times. Plus our English teacher was amazing, and she always explained books in an amazing way that sparked your interest. She felt that instead of reading a book, that a play would better fit our class. We all had very dramatic personalities, so reading aloud a play worked well for us.
In college I took many English and literature courses as a supplement for my degree. One class I had was with a professor that not only loved short stories, but had us write three short stories during the semester. We then read each others short stories to the class. He encouraged looking closely at prose, and how different writers affect readers. The required reading was a book of detective stories, each with a different narrative style. I found this course very entertaining, and I went on to read the rest of the book after the class ended.
Which brings me to the book community, where sometimes that same pressure can be felt by members of our community. We all have book clubs we belong to that choose a book for us to read. Sometimes we get excited, while other times we feel like we are forced to read a book. Just recently I bought a book because everyone was hyping it. I bought the book on its release day, and started reading it. I soon realized that I did not like one of the characters. After about sixty pages, I set it aside for another time. But I will not be able to attend the book discussion because of this.
My hopes are that required reading does not continue be a "read or fail" mentality. But embraces the fun aspect of reading. I love reading, because I am excited about what I am holding in my hands. I know that the book I chose is one that I will (hopefully) enjoy reading. I believe that required reading can be beneficial to any student if it is presented in a way that sparks the imagination.
Because there is always time to read,
Xepherus3
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