Reading

Whenever I hear anyone speaking ill of reading or writing, I am reminded of me when I was their age. I started reading avidly when I was eighteen. Prior to that, I was primarily struggling with math classes and playing drums with friends. I always told myself, "For every one reason you could think of why books shouldn't be read, I can think of ten." At the time, I was unaware of the hyperbole. I constantly asked myself, "what's the big deal?" I frequently heard adults and teachers quoting authors and philosophers from renown books, and I noticed that 1984 was a common read among high school students. Once I leisurely read Orwell, I realized the strength and significance of classic literature. As my interest intensified, I couldn't help but wonder why many students loathed reading.


A friend of mine sent me a hyperlink to a website called cracked.com where users post the most random topics online. This one, in particular, read "4 Ways High School Makes You Hate Reading." Although I agree with most her points, I disagree with one selection in particular:  The Catcher in the Rye. 


This is one of my favorite, recommended books because of the coming-of-age story is composed in a witty, semi-absurd, and whimsical fashion. In essence, I think that teachers ought to assign books of their liking as opposed to Common Core. I agree that Shakespeare shouldn't be taught in school. The argument that students need to familiarize themselves with one of the most iconic playwrights of all time is absurd. Most high school students ought to read texts, which pertain to their interest and are socially relevant.


In sum, one of the ways I suggest for teachers to spark an interest in students' reading is to choose a novel they read for fun and not for an  assignment. I understand that the struggle remains in the possibility that the selected books might not be of interest to the student, it is worth a try.