WEDNESDAY BLOGGING CHALLENGE | REQUIRED READING IN SCHOOLS

This is a good prompt. I also like that it’s not a specific question. It could be interpreted in several ways. Should there be required reading in schools? What did I read for required reading when I was in school? Which books do I think should be required reading in schools?

First question, I think in some form, yes. For one thing, there are some people who need a push to read. There are some people who discovered they like reading because of being required to read a book they actually ended up liking. I also think that part of what is important to learn in schools is how to assess and critique writing. To learn to question literature – for content, for language, for viewpoints, for cultural representation, for diversity, for own voices (or lack of them). The only way to learn to critique books is to read and discuss them.

I do think, though, that it doesn’t have to be so prescriptive. If I were teaching it I’d probably have a list of a few books that would be good for discussion and critique, and then let the kids choose which they wanted to read. Then they’d get to do some kind of presentation about the book so that the kids who hadn’t read it would know what it was about, then have discussions about the themes, content, gender representation, diversity, writing style etc. I have no idea if that would actually work, but I would have enjoyed it when I was in school. And it wouldn’t be all classic books. It would be books that have things to critique or think more deeply about, like Twilight. Books that are easy to read, but that have important lessons to learn – even if it’s about the things that aren’t great about them.

I don’t remember that much required reading in school. I read some Shakespeare, and some Orwell. I moved high schools a few times, and that led to a lack of consistency. By my last school I ended up in an AP English class where we got to choose our own book, and I read A Prayer for Owen Meany.

I understand having some classics as required reading in schools, but I do think there needs to be some re-consideration of which books are really important, and which should be considered classics. It shouldn’t be all dead White people, particularly now. I think some of the complex and important issues that students are likely dealing with in life should be reflected in their learning. I think their histories should be visible in historical works. I also think that there should be literature that reflects and is written by the different people in the community – here, for example, I think reading a book like The Marrow Thieves should be mandatory. It is a great, fast-paced story, but it also has a lot of themes related to Indigenous culture and history and the history of residential schools woven into it.

So that’s where I stand on required reading at this particular point in time. What about you guys? Do you think required reading is a good idea? What did you read in school? Did you end up liking any of the books you read? Which books would you add to a syllabus?

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge is a blog hop hosted every Wednesday by Long and Short Reviews. The weekly prompts range widely, including both book-related and non-book-related topics. The idea is to get bloggers to interact, share a bit about their lives and connect with other bloggers. Click here for the list of upcoming topics, and visit here to join in the fun!