I thoroughly enjoyed these articles published by The Washington Post. I was one of the people in high school who refused to read any of the required reading material. I judged books by their covers, when they were written, the author, language used and even topics. As an adult I have now read many of the "required" books for high school students. "The Catcher in the Rye " is one of my favorite books. After having more life experiences under my belt I was able to relate to the characters in the book better. I feel that when a reader can understand or relate to a book then they will take much more from it than someone who can not.
I would also have to agree with the article in that many English teachers are not promoting the books properly or aiming them at age appropriate audiences. Is the point of reading to learn that particular story or is there a larger purpose. If there is a larger purpose than maybe teachers should offer a list of books to choose from that fit the purpose of their lesson. This may spark an interest in reading and encourage a life long love for books.
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3 comments:
I agree that teachers are not promoting books in a way that will interest children. It is also true that we need to work harder on choosing books that are age appropriate.
I was also one of the students who refused to read the required books (Spark Notes!) because I frankly did not want to waste my time reading the crap. When I would try I would always find myself zoning out and not remember what I read. I find it horrible how the schools try to make you read the required books and expect you to want to read them.
I think if teachers did different things in English class then the same required reading we would have a lot more students involved in the class and also involved in Broadening their horizons lol
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