What's the point of required reading?

Susan James said:What do you mean exactly when you say "essay"? I mean, has anyone actually sat down after graduating high school to write an essay about some classic piece of literature? (Probably not, unless you were busy doing 😬's homework for them!) Or are we talking about writing in a broader sense—things like cover letters, formal appeals, opinion pieces, legal documentation, research papers, abstracts, reviews, blog posts, or media articles? There's such a huge variety of writing involved in different careers and daily life.

Fair enough, you've got a point. I should've been more specific.

urbantinker8 said:so here, in case anyone else finds themselves stuck with this kind of nonsense for school reading assignments.😁

I wouldn't necessarily go so far as to say parents are underestimating their kids, actually, I don't think that's quite it.

It isn't really about thinking, "wow, this characterization is so dark, surely my little Timmy is too young to grasp this."
Rather, it’s more like, "this characterization is so intense, my kid is way too young for this—let them just play outside and do what they want, why are we feeding them this garbage?"
And then you throw those Skarnicle things into the mix... it just sort of completes the whole mess, I suppose.😁

With eBay, the only tiny little issue is waiting four to seven weeks for delivery—and school assignments usually have much tighter deadlines, don't they?

I mean, I don't really get why it’s an issue—why not just walk down to the local grocery store and grab some onions? But hey, whatever.

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Christian Wilson28 said:With eBay, the only tiny little issue is waiting four to seven weeks for delivery—and school assignments usually have much tighter deadlines, don't they?

I mean, I don't really get why it’s an issue—why not just walk down to the local grocery store and grab some onions? But hey, whatever.

Man, that whole situation with eBay was just a total mess, I guess.🙄
I suppose the way they handle the reading list is that everything is assigned right at the start of the school year, covering the whole curriculum for the term. My little one’s teacher usually hands out the specific assignments about a month before they actually dive into the books. If there happens to be a particularly complex project or a more demanding assignment, I imagine she would probably give them even more lead time to prepare.

Raymond Jones8 said:Look, I don't really care if kids complain about their required reading list. Honestly, I get it. It’s mandatory, it isn't everyone's cup of tea, and having to write those tedious little study guides is just a drag. I totally understand that.
But here's the thing—those same kids aren't actually reading anything else!
I mean, they barely scrape through the assigned stuff because they're feeling lazy every single month, but why not just hit up the local library and grab something they actually *want* to read? Something they actually enjoy? Or is everything just considered stupid and boring now? I guess it's hard to tell.
My son isn't exactly thrilled about every book on his school list either, but that's honestly just a tiny fraction of what he goes through in a month. He treats the school stuff like a chore, gets it done, and then picks out something fun for himself, or I'll just grab something from the library for him to save us both the hassle. He often wanders into our local library by himself, maybe while I'm running errands near his preschool, and he'll just hang out there reading graphic novels.
Though, I suppose it might be a bit late to start building reading habits once they've already started school. Around here, back when they were in preschool, we used to have that little bookmobile visit once a month. Besides that, we have memberships at two different libraries—four total accounts—and right now we've got 14 books checked out at home.
That's four books for my school-aged kid, four for my little one in preschool, and six for us adults. If you can't find time during the day to read, there's always those fifteen minutes in bed before you pass out.

And why should they? Maybe people are interested in other things? Robotics? Video games? Sports? Learning a new language? Binging high-quality shows and movies?
I will never understand this obsession with glorifying books.

Kenneth Wood3 said:And why should they? Maybe people are interested in other things? Robotics? Video games? Sports? Learning a new language? Binging high-quality shows and movies?
I will never understand this obsession with glorifying books.

It's kind of sad, really.

Kenneth Wood3 said:And why should they? Maybe people are interested in other things? Robotics? Video games? Sports? Learning a new language? Binging high-quality shows and movies?
I will never understand this obsession with glorifying books.

Look, I totally get it. Every hobby is valid—unless you're into something weird like picking your nose. Most people don't spend their free time buried in a book anyway; those who do are definitely in the minority.

The thing is, this specific thread is about school reading lists—basically, books and reading. 😉 If you're looking to talk about sports, gaming, or whatever else floats your boat, maybe try searching for those topics instead? This forum is huge, there's plenty of room for everything else...

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urbantinker8 said:It's kind of sad, really.

Why is that? One person writes a great book, another makes a movie—and then there's the person who just goes off on some radio show.

Christian Wilson28 said:unknown

Why is that? One person writes a great book, another makes a movie—and then there's the person who just goes off on some radio show.

I suppose everyone has their own thing going on, but I guess it’s a bit sad when people don't see the value in celebrating reading.

Honestly, people who read are often just as rude and uncultured as those who don't. It’s not like they have some kind of superpower or anything.

Sure, I get it—it’s not like reading books actually makes you smarter or anything. It's just nonsense. 😂

I’ve always been big on diving into deep, technical books related to my field

Just finished an absolute gem and I gotta recommend it—Choderlos de Laclos - unknown

It’s honestly such a shame this isn't required reading in schools; it would probably open a lot of people's eyes to reality

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rowdypanther12 said:Sure, I get it—it’s not like reading books actually makes you smarter or anything. It's just nonsense. 😂

Not really, though—not nearly as much as we love to believe they do.

Kenneth Wood3 said:And why should they? Maybe people are interested in other things? Robotics? Video games? Sports? Learning a new language? Binging high-quality shows and movies?
I will never understand this obsession with glorifying books.

If you want to talk about glorifying books, you should ask the people here who claim to be readers—which is most of them—how much more enthusiastically they would dive into a book if the school reading list actually offered titles they liked. It's because those mandatory assignments feel tedious and uninspiring.

The honest advice for them would be to just head to the local library and read whatever catches their eye.

It would be much fairer to just say, "I don't read, I'm not interested, it's exhausting, and frankly, it's boring." But then, we wouldn't even have this conversation.

Everyone here acts like a literary scholar while simultaneously hating on required reading.

Those people you mentioned, the ones who have other hobbies and aren't really into reading, aren't even part of this group. Everyone here swears by the importance of literature and their love for books, provided the book isn't something assigned by a teacher.

Larry Walker24 said:I’ve always been big on diving into deep, technical books related to my field

Just finished an absolute gem and I gotta recommend it—Choderlos de Laclos - unknown

It’s honestly such a shame this isn't required reading in schools; it would probably open a lot of people's eyes to reality

👍
I actually read that back in high school, and I thought it was wonderful! It's exactly the kind of historical fiction that could actually grab a teenager's attention. But, just like you mentioned, instead of books like that, they assign these incredibly tedious classics that feel like a chore to get through.

It would be quite fascinating to take a good look at our current national curriculum and compare it against those old-fashioned educational standards from decades ago. We might find that what we're teaching our kids is still heavily influenced by some rather outdated, moralistic views from the Middle Ages...

hiddendriver34 said:Look, I totally get it. Every hobby is valid—unless you're into something weird like picking your nose. Most people don't spend their free time buried in a book anyway; those who do are definitely in the minority.

The thing is, this specific thread is about school reading lists—basically, books and reading. 😉 If you're looking to talk about sports, gaming, or whatever else floats your boat, maybe try searching for those topics instead? This forum is huge, there's plenty of room for everything else...

Yeah, and that’s exactly why I said—since the topic is books and reading—that I don't get why everyone thinks reading in their free time is mandatory when there are all these other interests that are just as valid. I have no idea what made you think I wasn't interested in books?

The impact books have on development is totally overrated, while our society completely ignores how much other hobbies matter.

We definitely tend to overlook how much others shape us, but I don't think we underestimate the power of reading enough.

What's even the point of using all that archaic, old-school language in school reading assignments?

I mean, seriously, why force a 15-year-old to deal with it?

Larry Walker24 said:What's even the point of using all that archaic, old-school language in school reading assignments?

I mean, seriously, why force a 15-year-old to deal with it?

I mean, what's the actual utility of learning new—or old—words that feel totally foreign and out of place? By the time a kid hits five, they’ve essentially mastered the language as a functional system; they have more than enough vocabulary to express every single one of their vital needs. Why push them beyond that?

Think about it: why does a term like "maritime" need to exist in a geography textbook? Seriously, what's the purpose? What about "solmization"? Or "watercolor"? Why should an eleven-year-old be expected to know "photosynthesis," let alone "cryptogams"? Aside from a biology major, who actually uses those terms in real life? And don't even get me started on terms like "republic" or "aristocracy"—those are just more historical headaches. Then there's all that technical jargon; who cares about it unless they’re planning to go into that specific field? And if they do choose that career path, they'll learn it then.

Besides, why do we even bother with words at all when we have emojis, hand gestures, and facial expressions to do the heavy lifting?

You really have to watch out so you don't accidentally stumble upon an unfamiliar word, whether it's ancient or modern. It might seriously damage your ignorance.

wanderingbadger44 said:I mean, what's the actual utility of learning new—or old—words that feel totally foreign and out of place? By the time a kid hits five, they’ve essentially mastered the language as a functional system; they have more than enough vocabulary to express every single one of their vital needs. Why push them beyond that?

Think about it: why does a term like "maritime" need to exist in a geography textbook? Seriously, what's the purpose? What about "solmization"? Or "watercolor"? Why should an eleven-year-old be expected to know "photosynthesis," let alone "cryptogams"? Aside from a biology major, who actually uses those terms in real life? And don't even get me started on terms like "republic" or "aristocracy"—those are just more historical headaches. Then there's all that technical jargon; who cares about it unless they’re planning to go into that specific field? And if they do choose that career path, they'll learn it then.

Besides, why do we even bother with words at all when we have emojis, hand gestures, and facial expressions to do the heavy lifting?

You really have to watch out so you don't accidentally stumble upon an unfamiliar word, whether it's ancient or modern. It might seriously damage your ignorance.

You still haven't used a single word that Shakespeare uses in Judith. That's my question.I mean, seriously? It’s like they don't even know what photosynthesis is. Remember back in the day when I used to say, "can I ask a question for 2"? Yeah, that was me.

A 15-year-old shouldn't have to deal with Judith and the death of Smail aga Čengić. Honestly, forcing kids to read stuff like that alongside math is exactly why the school system here in America is such a total disaster.

Look, someone needs to run an experiment here. Let's say we let students pick any six books they actually want, just by their choice, and see what happens. That way, we could finally figure out if the issue is the actual reading material or if kids just hate the act of reading altogether. But honestly? We all know that’s never going to happen because they’re too busy grinding through the mandatory curriculum.

Kenneth Wood3 said:Yeah, and that’s exactly why I said—since the topic is books and reading—that I don't get why everyone thinks reading in their free time is mandatory when there are all these other interests that are just as valid. I have no idea what made you think I wasn't interested in books?

The impact books have on development is totally overrated, while our society completely ignores how much other hobbies matter.

Wait, did anyone actually say "everyone should be reading in their free time" on this thread? If they did, I totally missed it.