Posts by Chris Grant3

wearyrider16 said:Man, it’s incredible. That Hershey's scent hits you right at the five-minute mark, and honestly, watching it melt in my mouth is basically therapy for a bad mood.
One more bite, then another, then another... and then for dessert, we have the queen herself, the one and only Ferrero Nutella... oh man, so good...

I'm starting to wonder if this counts as self-care or just plain old gluttony!🤣

Weight-gaining 😬

Reading aloud to a kid who’s already figured out how to read themselves? Honestly, you’ve got to be kidding me, right?

Anthony Ward6 said:The movies are great, what's your problem? 😬
I guess it’s probably the only trilogy that actually lived up to the books instead of disappointing everyone. The films got incredibly high ratings. People only claim Tolkien is garbage because he's mainstream fantasy—honestly, he's better than that dead old man and the sea, which is just some hollow, pathetic story any talented kid could write if they wanted to pretend to struggle with the meaning of life.

As far as the movies go, I think there's a much higher chance a kid will actually pick up LOTR after seeing the film than they ever would touch that boring mess by unknown.

Honestly, those scores just came from people who couldn't be bothered to actually read the books, but finally felt like they could claim they knew Tolkien's work after watching them. 😁

Susan James said:Parents are always to blame, 😬 🧐
whether it's because they try to teach kids to read too early, or they don't teach them at all—especially if they aren't reading aloud or offering picture books from day one. And apparently, it's also their fault if they push extra books beyond the school curriculum; if a kid starts reading sci-fi or fiction on their own and then doesn't have the time or interest for the assigned classics, the parent gets the blame again. 🐔

Reading is vital, though. It builds vocabulary, fuels imagination, and helps maintain focus...
It’s great to offer books to kids or read to them, but that definitely doesn't guarantee they'll become lifelong readers (like Summer mentioned, it can actually backfire sometimes).

That said, schools really should require students to read certain works, get to know them, and discuss them. If we leave everything up to the student's choice (or the parents'), what's the point of sending them to school in the first place?

There really needs to be some way to check reading comprehension.
Whether it's through writing or class discussions...

Or maybe it's just because what they choose to read on their own is way more engaging than those mandatory school books, so they have zero desire to touch those "boring and confusing" classics that are supposedly meant to turn them into well-rounded readers.

unknown

Christian Wilson28 said:It’s honestly such a struggle trying to get people here to understand—we’re losing readers for a million different reasons. Mandatory school reading lists just make kids hate books entirely. Sure, we have e-books and some local titles available, but let's be real: the selection is thin and nobody is actually promoting it. You can't even borrow e-books from the public library yet, and if you want audiobooks, you're stuck with old CDs that require a disability certificate just to access them? I don't get it. Is this some copyright nonsense or just pure stupidity? It should be as easy as clicking a button, just like an e-book. Honestly, insisting on physical books in a digital age is a losing battle—and refusing to update those outdated school reading lists? Same thing.

Mind you, okay, they have introduced plenty of new and great resources in elementary schools lately—though unfortunately, they've added some idiocy in there too. But high school? It's pretty much the same mess it was back in my day.

https://www.loc.gov/

Raymond Jones8 said:So, my kid tells me today that in their whole third-grade class—there are 25 kids total—it’s just him and one other girl who actually bother to read books outside of the required school reading list.
At first, I thought it was just weird, but then I started thinking about how things are at my office with the older crowd, and honestly... it’s pretty much the same story over there too...

That isn't the case for me. Out of ten close female friends, seven of them are reading almost every single day, even while juggling kids, work, and everything else life throws at them. Men seem to read way less; maybe three out of ten, though a few others at least pick up professional literature or go back to school in their late teens or twenties.

I've been a reader my whole life; I just love it. To be honest, the required reading lists back in high school were endlessly boring, and I can barely remember any of them. I could only ever focus on a couple if I had total peace and quiet. I'll sign off on what Peter Doyle2 said, because my take on this thread is similar to what Kuki is saying now: if the whole point of assigned reading is to force-feed kids information they can't digest or even understand, then we're doing it wrong. Forcing kids to struggle through books they don't connect with doesn't build critical thinking skills—if anything, it just makes them want to stay away from books forever.

Honestly, we could probably even use our trash as a teaching tool—a way to show kids what actually counts as waste and how to spot it in their daily lives.

Jack Kelly5 said:😕

🤣

Hold on a second... I'm actually right in the middle of making some homemade cabbage rolls!

Who exactly is responsible for churning out these condensed versions? Does someone actually need permission from the author, the publisher, or—heaven forbid—who else would they need to clear it with before they start hacking away at someone's literary work? 🤔

Which comics are available (besides Doris's)?

kuki 😁

Why isn't there a single comic book on the required reading list? Do you guys think it would be a good idea for kids to get introduced to at least one graphic novel while they're in school? And if so, which one do you think actually deserves a spot?