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?
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My son always says that Alvin High School killed his love of reading.
For me, that reflects the tragic consequences that frequently result from required readings.
That is so sad. Reading is such a magical thing, and I wish everyone could get the right book at the right time to spark the lifelong love of reading I’ve been fortunate enough to find. Do you think it was what was assigned or how assignments were handled or both? Has he found a way back to reading as an adult?
They do need to update the reading lists, I agree.
I really hope they have. It’s been so long since I was in school that I have no idea what it’s like now!
This is a very sensible response to this prompt. And, yes, there are far too many dead white people on the required reading lists at many schools. That needs to change.
Haha! Thanks! I fully agree. I hate that I didn’t even KNOW how terrible the literary landscape’s racism was for a lot of my life. And there’s so much out there we’re missing out on! I hope that this is changing!