Reading can open so many doors for people and this is apparent through these accounts.
"I opened my first Goosebumps book in about 3rd-4th grade and became totally immersed in the simplicity of the horror stories. Something about how the stories were easy to read and comprehend kept me going back to the library again and again to check out these books"
"Magic Tree House books opened a world of discovery for me. I learned so much through those pages. Imagination with a dash of factual information."
"When I started reading Harry Potter in the 5th grade I never knew I could actually care about a fictional character as much as I did with the characters in that series. To do this day I get excited when I hear a Harry Potter reference."
"Animorphs were filled with detail. I remember vividly the transformation passages where a human would transform into animal and back to human. That imagery captivated me."
"I read just about every Gary Paulsen book I could get my hands on in middle school, but The Transall Saga was my absolute favorite. I have read it about 6 times since then and am always captivated by the mixture of survival story meets science fiction."
"An Ocean in Iowa was one of those books that really made me realize that writing is really an art form. Took me back to my roots living in Iowa, but amazing story telling in the perspective of a young child left me speechless."
"I read The Things they Carried in high school just for the hell of it. One of the most captivating reads ever. You want emotion, read this book. You want action, read this book. You want enlightenment, read this book."
"Tuesday's With Morrie changes my perspective on life. I became a much more positive person through reading this book."
"Never have I felt so attached to a character as I did with Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye. I felt, as I read this book, that I finally had someone who understood me. I had someone to relate to. My all time favorite book, hands down, no competition."
"Honestly, this is tough to admit, but I loved the first three Twilight books. I couldn't make it through the 4th one, but man what an entrancing love story. It may seem embarrassing but wow, 800 pages never went so fast. Simplicity combined with captivation."
"I don't cry (very often) but when I read The Fault in Our Stars I think I shed a few tears. Cliche as it may be, this book led me to an understanding of what life should be lived like."
"I have never been more motivated to complete something as I did when I read Born to Run. In fact after I read the book I signed up for my first marathon, and then my first ultra marathon. I have run 2 full marathons since, and three ultra marathons in the span of a year."
The cool part about all of these accounts is they come from me, personally. I believe these books are have made me who I am today, in a positive way. I truly believe reading is such an important skill to have and too often we miss the ball in education. Only two of the above books were recommended or required by teachers. I read the other books because I wanted to. So out of all of the books I was forced to read through middle school and high school, only 2 made the list of important to my life. Doesn't that say something about what we require kids to read? I am thankful for the opportunities to engage in those readings, but what if we gave complete choice?
These accounts could have easily been by anybody else, or by totally separate people. The only books people need to read are the ones they want to read. That's my opinion and I stand by it. There is not one single book I believe every person has to read. No, English teachers, Shakespeare might not be the most necessary and neither is that one book about a mockingbird. I believe each of the above books had a profound impact on me, whether it was something deep and classic like Catcher in the Rye or some fluff reading like Twilight. The bottom line is, I was reading and I enjoyed it. I did not enjoy (and maybe just didn't read) most of the books my teachers "required" out of me (I actually read Catcher in the Rye for the first time after I graduated and picked it up myself). Thanks to Sparknotes I was able to pass every test I was given on any piece of "literature" I was forced upon. Isn't that a problem? We want kids to read, so we force them to do it (based on teacher choice), then force them to test over it? Interesting approach. Oh by the way, I was an ELA teacher for 3 years.
I agree wholeheartedly that individual choice in book selection is a vital element in turning kids into readers. I encourage my own children and my students to find books they love and read them for the love of reading. I think that when we give students the choice, we empower them and make them realize that their opinion matters and that we value their taste and interests. I don’t think we allow kids to choose often enough.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, however, I believe there is power in group reading, too. There is something special about reading the same thing that others are reading and talking about that book. There is power in realizing that if there are 20 different people reading the book, there can be 20 different opinions about it and 20 different lessons learned from it because we all bring our own experiences to the table when we interpret literature. There is power in hearing someone disagree with your perspective and being forced to support your ideas and interpretation. There is power in sharing your thoughts or ideas with a peer and watching the light go on, watching your classmate who suddenly sees something from a different perspective because of what you said. It’s pretty difficult to have those discussions, debates, and experiences with everyone reading something different. I think we often fall into the trap of assuming the only thing teachers are doing with literature is testing over it.
I think back to that high school English teacher who forced me to read science fiction for the first time. I did it kicking and screaming, but suddenly found out that there was this amazing collection of stories and ideas that I had been missing out on my whole life. I never would have tried sci fi if it hadn’t been assigned. I also think about my college reading experience when I was introduced for the first time to the joys of a well-written autobiography. Up to that point in my life, I had read almost entirely fiction, and lo and behold, I realized I liked non-fiction. Thank you to that professor who forced me to find that out.
I think, like pretty much everything else in life, the answer is about finding balance. Things don’t have to be black and white, good or evil, all or nothing.
Agreed and you make very valid points. I am certainly not opposed to recommendations by any means, when it comes to teachers and students. What if students did do group reading but chose the groups and the reading they were doing? Then, what if that group or an individual connected with people through digital means to discuss the reading they are doing through blogging, vlogging, or chatting? I, personally am simply not a fan of teaching books for a test (like you said and I think most teachers have moved past this), and teaching a certain book, because it just happens to be great literature. I have never been a fan of Faulkner, but I had a college professor that tried forcing and brainwashing all of the students in his class that Faulkner was the greatest author ever, and that is how he presented it, "You have to read this book because it is the greatest book." That just doesn't work for our students. But, most importantly I like what you said about the balance we have to find, that is spot on. I would have never read Tuesday's With Morrie if were not for my English teacher in high school, but I would have never read The Transall Saga had I not been given the opportunity to explore and choose my own reading. Thanks for the comments.
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