Everything’s gonna be a chore. Life is a drag. Work is a drag. Getting up in the morning is a drag. Paying the bills is a drag. Dealing with work stuff and personal responsibilities is a drag.
So what? Just lie there, curl up, and do absolutely nothing because you can't be bothered.
Look, I get it—nobody’s forcing you to read some classic assigned book if you're feeling lazy, provided you’re cool with the fallout. You don't read it, you fail the assignment, whatever, you live your life. But you can't have it both ways. You can't expect an A and still spend all your time being lazy. It doesn't work like that.
Well, I don't feel that way either 😁 but if you're trying to get people interested in books, this isn't how you do it. That's why I mentioned needing to decide on an actual answer to the topic title. 😁
It’s true. Most kids just don't enjoy reading, and forcing it on them feels like a massive chore. It’s a sad reality, but it's the truth. A list like this one is perfectly fine if our goal is to introduce them to the classics, much like how we try to get them interested in chemical equations. But does anyone actually ask them if they want to learn this stuff? Why is there such a pushback only when it comes to assigned reading? Is it just because they don't find it engaging? 🤷 If we want to spark an interest in chemistry, we need to lean into more exciting experiments. Similarly, if we want them to pick up books, we have to give them stories that actually grab their attention.
hiddendriver34, I really hope you didn't mean that "genre fiction" can't move people the way the classics do. Honestly... 😁
Regarding the required reading list, I feel like we've covered most of this already. The title of this thread says it all. What is the actual purpose of school reading lists? I think this is where everyone starts to disagree. Is the goal to introduce kids to fine art, or just to get them interested in reading? If it's the former, then the list is mostly fine (though maybe skip some of those overly dense classics 😂). But if the goal is to spark a love for books, then the current selection is a disaster. That's my two cents. 😁
The selection will likely be open from the provided list of books 😁 Since our students get to pick from a set selection this year, I’m assuming it’ll work the same way here
You know what hits me hardest about all this? It’s seeing a kid who clearly needs help, and feeling like we're reaching that breaking point where it might be too late to prevent a total tragedy. It’s just heavy knowing there’s a child right there in the system—someone you're aware of, someone you can see spiraling—and yet, nothing is being done.
no 😁 we don't all have the same tastes; some things are just okay for me while I absolutely love others. It's a mix—one day it's my daughter's favorite, the next it's my husband's, then it's mine 😁 but if we're eating something that my daughter and I adore and my mom can't wrap her head around, she just gets an extra side or a substitute. To me, that’s just how a household functions normally
If we just view these things as small details and don't obsess over them, they won't turn into actual problems. But if someone says "I can't make it to class right now" and you respond with a massive drama or start screaming at them—calling them ungrateful and then just rescheduling later—the issue isn't the missed class, it's the lack of consistency.
I don't know, I just don't force people to eat things they don't like, whether it's my kids or my husband. If I'm not feeling up to making a separate meal or finding a substitute for someone who isn't interested in the main dish, then I'm just not going to cook something we all dislike. It’s really not a big deal. Besides, a glass can always be used for something else. Why throw it away? And why would a child be stuck with a glass they don't like just out of principle? Fixating on these little things just drains your energy and creates friction, which eventually ends up affecting the much bigger, more important stuff in life.
You’ve got to pick your battles when it comes to kids, whether they're two or twelve. Doesn't it get exhausting trying to whip up a whole different dinner just because someone isn't a fan of 🤷 ? I usually just cook what everyone eats, and if I want something specific that one family member doesn't touch, I'll just make a quick side or substitute they actually like. It's not like we're in boot camp or anything.
I mean, that seems like a pretty flawed conclusion. There was a public bidding process in place! They pick the best vendor through a system that's supposed to be totally transparent and fair.
They aren't exactly self-taught; their bosses trained them from the ground up. Or they might have started out as masons and eventually worked their way up to being plumbers or tile setters. Yeah, some definitely finished trade school, but there are so many who just learned everything on the job. I tend to chat with people and pick things up along the way—like knowing an auto mechanic who actually graduated from MIT.
Most people doing home improvement work actually picked up those skills on the job, whether they were apprentices or working independently. It’s not like they went to school specifically to learn how to lay tile or hang drywall...