Does school ruin reading?

[Keely Ward]

If you ask someone what was the last book they read for fun many will say "I don't know, I hate reading." or something along those lines. Many students today now associate reading with school work.  The only books they read are the ones chosen to fit the curriculum.  We read books for school a lot differently then reading for fun. For school work, every chapter read you have to determine the authors tone, or vocabulary words in the story. You have to constantly be thinking about the mechanics. If you're reading for fun, it can be a way to "escape". The same way you would do with a movie. Free reading allows you to read just for the story.

First semester I was in the class advanced reading. I took it to speed up the rate I read at. Three days a week, we would have time that was set aside for "free reading". That was one of the first classes I've taken in high school that had a specific time just to read anything you want. There was no length requirement, specific genre, or type of book we had to read. It was the first time in a while for me and some of my class mates that we read for fun. Once I started reading on a weekly basis it doesnt feel like work or boring. Do people actually hate reading, or does school just take the fun out of it?

[Robin de Freitas]

It can't spoil something a person never did.

[Alex Konrath]

I definitely think reading in schools has spoiled it for many kids including myself. Now dont get me wrong there are definitely good books read in school, but they are few and far between. Books like Catcher in the Rye  and Tom Sawyer i did not enjoy, but books like The outsiders i did enjoy reading. There are exceptions but yes school has definitely paired reading with homework and other stuff we dont want to do.

[Davy Mellado]

It depends, like a lot of things. Reading is just an activity that some people like and others don't. And carrying books around with you isn't so cool, so peeps that do that are not considered cool. Thats why i think it's not fun. Because everyone else says its not, so it isn't. (wonderful groupthink, isn't it?) So really, we should be attacking ourselves, to have our own mind about things, not just be thrown into the pile of everyone else.

[haena y.]

If you have a good book, reading is always fun. School does take away the fun from reading. First of all, when reading a book that is required for school, you have to do alot. Like you stated in the blog, we have to find the tone and much more. Also, the loads of work some teachers pile on us or the work that gets added up from all your classes create no time for reading. School, says reading is good, but how is it as a whole helping us find time to read?

[Aly Glover]

I agree with Duncan. The books from 50 years ago don't really relate to us anymore and are overworked. I think that we could find books from our time that do some of the same things. I love to read when it doesn't have to do with school. The only book that I read in school that I actually enjoyed was Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes. 

Readicide......Fits pretty well if you ask me. 

[Darby Douglas]

I love to read when it's my choice to do so. When it deals with books assigned to me by the school, I have to push myself to even open the book! I hate going into a book thinking, "okay what literary devices did the author use etc..." Teachers are just doing their job when they try getting us looking further into the writing. However, even though I like to read, I don't consider myself a very good student whenever it comes to reading assignments.

[Duncan Brown]

School uses the same overworked dried up cannon of books that it has since the 50's.  These novels are considered classics and literarily and socially important.  But, I disagree.  Literary and social applicability are subjective concepts, and arbitrating these ideas in a stuffy manner does ruin reading.

[Joaquin Zuniga]

I like reading, but when I get to pick what I read. I read all four of the Dexter book (before the fifth came out) in 3 weeks. I've never read that fast in my life other than the time I read "A Child Called It" in one day. I don't like being forced to read books I don't want to, but I will read a book crazy fast if I like it.

[Gary Anderson]

Many thanks to Keely for contributing this blog post and to everyone who has posted such honest comments.  I've learned a lot fromwhat you all have written.

This year in my sophomore classes we read each day for ten minutes.  Students choose their own books.  Then they write blog posts about them.  You're welcome to take a look at that web site to see their posts and comments:  Discovering Your Voice.  It's been a very successful experiment.

Next year I'll be teaching some senior classes, and I'm pretty sure we'll try something similar in those classes.  Some of you will probably be a part of that.

Reading is an important "skill," yes, but it can also be a pleasurable experience.  And, yes, schools sometimes do a pretty good job of killing that pleasure.  There is actually a word for it:  readicide. 

Please know that several members of the Fremd English Department have read this blog and these comments.  Several other teachers from around the country have read it too.  What you all are saying here was summed up very well today in an email I received from one of those teachers:  "On one hand, I applaud what's happening here because a lot of the kids 'get it.'  On the other hand, it's frightening that they get it while we (as a collective) don't. The kids are telling us, word for word, that they want to read but can't find the time to do it in school."

This is a blog post  that is making a difference.  Thanks again to everyone who has posted here so far, and to everyone who adds comments after this. 

[Nora Geissler]

lthough some of the books are boring, i think that  some of the books techers have made us read were good, and i enjoyed them. School has opened my eyes to some books i'd never have read previously.