What's the point of required reading?

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.

🙏
I guess you hit the nail right on the head. You really said it all.

I suppose there’s a certain kind of person out there—someone I’ve always found somewhat baffling, really—who just refuses to grow up, acting like a total manchild. It’s that specific brand of arrested development where they expect the world to bend to their whims without ever taking any responsibility themselves. I guess it’s just one of those things you encounter more often than you’d like, though maybe I’m just being overly observant. It's a strange way to navigate adulthood, isn't it? Moving through life with that sort of mindset, almost as if they're perpetually waiting for someone else to step in and fix everything. I don't know, maybe it's just my perspective, but it always seems so exhausting to witness. urbantinker8 says:

I suppose a fifteen-year-old wouldn't really need to bother with Judith or the death of Smail aga Čengić, if you think about it that way. It seems like a bit much for someone that age, I guess.

Honestly, I don't think I can stomach reading such incredibly simplistic sentences anymore.🙂

I suppose people just don't need everything handed to them on a silver platter, regardless of whether they're fifteen or fifty-five.
Honestly, I don't see the point in quadratic equations. I didn't need them twenty-five years ago, and I certainly don't need them now. In my case, I suppose spending any amount of time trying to memorize that nonsense was really just a massive waste of energy.
I don’t think I’ve ever once in my life actually needed to sit down and calculate the acceleration of a train traveling from Point A to Point B, and honestly, I’ve never given a single damn about exactly where it might cross paths with another train heading from Point B back toward Point A.
I don't think I could ever bring myself to sit down and craft some little birdhouse or a decorative napkin holder just for the sake of it, no matter how much they tried to convince us back in shop class.
I suppose I’ll probably never actually sit down and bother balancing chemical equations just to figure out exactly how many molecules or atoms are required for some specific reaction. It feels like such a tedious way to spend an afternoon, though I guess there's a certain logic to it if you really think about it.
I guess it’s just one of those things, but honestly, since I finished high school, nobody has ever once turned to me and asked whether a birch tree actually reproduces through seeds or if a snail is technically hermaphroditic. It’s a bit strange, I suppose, how all that specific knowledge just sort of sits there in the back of your mind without any real reason to surface.
I guess you could say that since my school days ended, I haven't really felt any sudden, inexplicable urges to go out and attempt a standing long jump or try my hand at leaping over garden fences. It’s funny how that works, isn't it? You spend all those years being physically challenged by gym class, and then suddenly, life just settles into this much more stationary rhythm. Maybe it's just maturity, or maybe I've just lost that specific kind of restless energy, but I haven't found myself jumping over anything more significant than a curb in quite some time.
Should I keep going...?🙂

I don't know, maybe it’s just how I’m wired, but I honestly don't feel like all that "excess" knowledge has ever really done me any harm, or caused some kind of lasting trauma or emotional distress, I guess.

I suppose if I actually wanted to be some kind of STEM geek, I probably should have spent more time worrying about quadratic equations and acceleration, though I'm not entirely sure how much that would have changed things.
I suppose if I had actually gone down the path of becoming a biologist, I probably would have ended up focusing on the breeding side of things—you know, the whole process of plant and animal reproduction. It’s a bit of a niche thought, I guess, but there’s something about that specific cycle of life that always seemed interesting to me.
If I had actually wanted to make it to the track meet, I suppose I would have been leaping across the sand like some kind of gazelle.
Whenever I find myself needing something like a napkin holder or maybe a little birdhouse for the yard, I usually just end up heading over to Target.🙂

I guess you could say it all started when I was just fifteen. I wasn't entirely certain, I guess. I’m sitting here wondering what on earth I should do next. It’s one of those moments where everything feels a bit suspended, I suppose, and the options just sort of blur together into this vague, uncertain haze. Maybe I should just sit tight and see if anything clarifies itself, or perhaps I ought to actually make a move, though I can't quite decide which direction would be less aimless. I guess we all hit these little crossroads eventually, don't we?

I suppose I’m not really diving directly into any specific reading material today, though I find myself reflecting on it all, and honestly, I don't regret a single book I've ever picked up—whether they were absolutely gripping or just as tedious as a rainy Monday in Seattle.
Back in the day, I honestly thought *Dundo Maroje* was one of those incredibly silly books you were forced to read in school, but looking back now, I have such an immense respect for *The Bridge on the Drina*. I find myself constantly amazed by how the author managed to pen such a prophetic prologue five centuries ago; it feels just as relevant today as it did back then, which is pretty wild when you think about it.😲
For anyone who might have skipped over it—and I suspect there are a few of you out there😳—I’d really suggest taking a long, slow look at that prologue.🙏🙏🙏

urbantinker8 said:🙏
I guess you hit the nail right on the head. You really said it all.

I suppose there’s a certain kind of person out there—someone I’ve always found somewhat baffling, really—who just refuses to grow up, acting like a total manchild. It’s that specific brand of arrested development where they expect the world to bend to their whims without ever taking any responsibility themselves. I guess it’s just one of those things you encounter more often than you’d like, though maybe I’m just being overly observant. It's a strange way to navigate adulthood, isn't it? Moving through life with that sort of mindset, almost as if they're perpetually waiting for someone else to step in and fix everything. I don't know, maybe it's just my perspective, but it always seems so exhausting to witness. urbantinker8 says:

I suppose a fifteen-year-old wouldn't really need to bother with Judith or the death of Smail aga Čengić, if you think about it that way. It seems like a bit much for someone that age, I guess.

Honestly, I don't think I can stomach reading such incredibly simplistic sentences anymore.🙂

I suppose people just don't need everything handed to them on a silver platter, regardless of whether they're fifteen or fifty-five.
Honestly, I don't see the point in quadratic equations. I didn't need them twenty-five years ago, and I certainly don't need them now. In my case, I suppose spending any amount of time trying to memorize that nonsense was really just a massive waste of energy.
I don’t think I’ve ever once in my life actually needed to sit down and calculate the acceleration of a train traveling from Point A to Point B, and honestly, I’ve never given a single damn about exactly where it might cross paths with another train heading from Point B back toward Point A.
I don't think I could ever bring myself to sit down and craft some little birdhouse or a decorative napkin holder just for the sake of it, no matter how much they tried to convince us back in shop class.
I suppose I’ll probably never actually sit down and bother balancing chemical equations just to figure out exactly how many molecules or atoms are required for some specific reaction. It feels like such a tedious way to spend an afternoon, though I guess there's a certain logic to it if you really think about it.
I guess it’s just one of those things, but honestly, since I finished high school, nobody has ever once turned to me and asked whether a birch tree actually reproduces through seeds or if a snail is technically hermaphroditic. It’s a bit strange, I suppose, how all that specific knowledge just sort of sits there in the back of your mind without any real reason to surface.
I guess you could say that since my school days ended, I haven't really felt any sudden, inexplicable urges to go out and attempt a standing long jump or try my hand at leaping over garden fences. It’s funny how that works, isn't it? You spend all those years being physically challenged by gym class, and then suddenly, life just settles into this much more stationary rhythm. Maybe it's just maturity, or maybe I've just lost that specific kind of restless energy, but I haven't found myself jumping over anything more significant than a curb in quite some time.
Should I keep going...?🙂

I don't know, maybe it’s just how I’m wired, but I honestly don't feel like all that "excess" knowledge has ever really done me any harm, or caused some kind of lasting trauma or emotional distress, I guess.

I suppose if I actually wanted to be some kind of STEM geek, I probably should have spent more time worrying about quadratic equations and acceleration, though I'm not entirely sure how much that would have changed things.
I suppose if I had actually gone down the path of becoming a biologist, I probably would have ended up focusing on the breeding side of things—you know, the whole process of plant and animal reproduction. It’s a bit of a niche thought, I guess, but there’s something about that specific cycle of life that always seemed interesting to me.
If I had actually wanted to make it to the track meet, I suppose I would have been leaping across the sand like some kind of gazelle.
Whenever I find myself needing something like a napkin holder or maybe a little birdhouse for the yard, I usually just end up heading over to Target.🙂

I guess you could say it all started when I was just fifteen. I wasn't entirely certain, I guess. I’m sitting here wondering what on earth I should do next. It’s one of those moments where everything feels a bit suspended, I suppose, and the options just sort of blur together into this vague, uncertain haze. Maybe I should just sit tight and see if anything clarifies itself, or perhaps I ought to actually make a move, though I can't quite decide which direction would be less aimless. I guess we all hit these little crossroads eventually, don't we?

I suppose I’m not really diving directly into any specific reading material today, though I find myself reflecting on it all, and honestly, I don't regret a single book I've ever picked up—whether they were absolutely gripping or just as tedious as a rainy Monday in Seattle.
Back in the day, I honestly thought *Dundo Maroje* was one of those incredibly silly books you were forced to read in school, but looking back now, I have such an immense respect for *The Bridge on the Drina*. I find myself constantly amazed by how the author managed to pen such a prophetic prologue five centuries ago; it feels just as relevant today as it did back then, which is pretty wild when you think about it.😲
For anyone who might have skipped over it—and I suspect there are a few of you out there😳—I’d really suggest taking a long, slow look at that prologue.🙏🙏🙏

Just a few days ago, my child informed me—quite candidly, I might add—that they had decided to skip their assigned reading for the very first time, opting instead to simply Google the plot of *Tom Sawyer*.

It seems they already have a clear vision of their future career path, which, quite frankly, lies nowhere near the world of literature, though they certainly don't harbor any ill will toward reading or mastering the English language. But this particular book? They simply cannot bring themselves to engage with it, and they won't. As far as I am concerned, if they don't want to read it, they shouldn't have to.

wanderingbadger44 said: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.

Back in my day, the librarian practically had to drag me out of the library by my ear; she was more like a surrogate grandmother to me given how much time I spent there. By seventh grade, I had already started copying assigned readings from older students who had different teachers, and later on, I became a regular fixture at the local bookstore picking up those titles.

There are certain things that seemed utterly moronic and uninteresting to me as a child, even if I did end up reading them, yet I find myself appreciating them quite deeply today.

Linda Price5 said:Back in my day, the librarian practically had to drag me out of the library by my ear; she was more like a surrogate grandmother to me given how much time I spent there. By seventh grade, I had already started copying assigned readings from older students who had different teachers, and later on, I became a regular fixture at the local bookstore picking up those titles.

There are certain things that seemed utterly moronic and uninteresting to me as a child, even if I did end up reading them, yet I find myself appreciating them quite deeply today.

That’s just... how should I put this?... perfectly natural.
Someone is always going to find something stupid or dull. It's inevitable. Required reading lists are designed with a specific purpose in mind. Sure, you'll run into teachers who don't handle the curriculum properly, but that's beside the point. The point is the list itself. Don't forget that names like Krleža are on there, and think about how lucky you were to eventually discover his work. You could have easily avoided him because of your resistance to the assigned reading.

A curriculum shouldn't be built based on the whims of children or the tastes of the general public, just like you wouldn't let a crowd decide which classical pieces are played during a music appreciation class.

And help me understand why you're pushing back against the reading list so hard when you aren't even one of those kids whose only exposure to literature is what's assigned in class. It seems like you're protesting the selection specifically because you're someone who would have found their way to books anyway, even if you never stepped foot in a library. In a way, you're living proof that anyone who truly wants to read will find a way, regardless of whatever list they're handed.

wanderingbadger44 said:That’s just... how should I put this?... perfectly natural.
Someone is always going to find something stupid or dull. It's inevitable. Required reading lists are designed with a specific purpose in mind. Sure, you'll run into teachers who don't handle the curriculum properly, but that's beside the point. The point is the list itself. Don't forget that names like Krleža are on there, and think about how lucky you were to eventually discover his work. You could have easily avoided him because of your resistance to the assigned reading.

A curriculum shouldn't be built based on the whims of children or the tastes of the general public, just like you wouldn't let a crowd decide which classical pieces are played during a music appreciation class.

And help me understand why you're pushing back against the reading list so hard when you aren't even one of those kids whose only exposure to literature is what's assigned in class. It seems like you're protesting the selection specifically because you're someone who would have found their way to books anyway, even if you never stepped foot in a library. In a way, you're living proof that anyone who truly wants to read will find a way, regardless of whatever list they're handed.

That’s easily the most lasting impact those required reading lists had on my life. It wasn't about gaining some deep understanding of literary history; it was more about developing a visceral distaste for the specific authors and books they forced upon us. Honestly, it even made me recoil from works I actually might have enjoyed, simply because they were part of that mandated curriculum. 😁

So, go ahead—explain to me why you’re suddenly such a crusader against assigned reading lists. It seems to me you’re only making this noise because you aren't exactly part of that crowd whose only connection to classic literature is whatever happens to be on a syllabus. You’re shouting about "curated selections" when, in reality, you probably wouldn't even step foot in a public library if it weren't mandatory. Honestly, you are the living embodiment of my point: someone who actually wants to read will find their way to a book regardless of what some school board decides to put on a list.

In my view, the true value—the actual purpose—of reading literature should be found in the experience itself. For someone in their 30s or 40s, a book ought to serve as a source of genuine entertainment, deep intellectual stimulation, or even just a moment of quiet reflection through beautiful prose and insightful ideas. That is far more meaningful than the hollow memory of struggling through a text in a language you barely grasp, only to end up frantically copying assignments from an older cousin just to get by.

There are certain individuals who come of age surrounded by bookshelves, raised by parents who treated reading as a way of life and made early trips to the local library a cornerstone of their childhood. Then, there is the other breed—those raised by people who operate under the logic of, "Everything worth knowing, I picked up from the TV! And the bigger the screen, the sharper the mind. You can judge my intellect just by looking at my massive flat-screen. Just What a clever Fellow I am."

Required reading has occasionally repulsed me, or perhaps more accurately, driven me to sprint toward a local bookstore to find something actually worth my time—much like how you might instinctively grab the steering wheel immediately after surviving a chaotic traffic jam. For some, these assignments might serve as a gateway to discovering that a book can be a genuine companion, but this particular curriculum failed that mission entirely. It was far too preoccupied with dredging through the dusty annals of American literary history. To me, that’s just tragic; such an approach is nothing more than a colossal waste of time and energy for everyone involved.

I have to admit, I was a bit taken aback by the required reading list for second grade... it’s just some fairy tales, short stories, picture books, and then—Pinocchio. It’s a charming story, don't get me wrong, but there is absolutely NO WAY a seven-year-old can just tackle that book on their own... there are so many unfamiliar words, some of which I honestly don't even know the definitions of! There are such long, convoluted words and complex sentences that there's simply no theory that a child could process this independently. I mean, unless the kid is some kind of once-in-a-generation prodigy, this is strictly a job for the parents. I’ve been sitting right next to her for days, reading the material to her because she couldn't pronounce certain words even after five tries. Honestly, I really don't understand why some of my colleagues act like such jerks when parents actually step up to help at home, especially when certain parts of this curriculum aren't even age-appropriate to begin with.
It truly infuriated me.. here is a child who has lived in the local library since she could walk, someone we constantly pick up books for and read together—and yet, for the first time ever, she actually burst into tears while reading. She's an excellent reader, too. It really makes me wonder what kind of idiot decided this belonged in a second-grade syllabus.

Kate Cox2 said:I have to admit, I was a bit taken aback by the required reading list for second grade... it’s just some fairy tales, short stories, picture books, and then—Pinocchio. It’s a charming story, don't get me wrong, but there is absolutely NO WAY a seven-year-old can just tackle that book on their own... there are so many unfamiliar words, some of which I honestly don't even know the definitions of! There are such long, convoluted words and complex sentences that there's simply no theory that a child could process this independently. I mean, unless the kid is some kind of once-in-a-generation prodigy, this is strictly a job for the parents. I’ve been sitting right next to her for days, reading the material to her because she couldn't pronounce certain words even after five tries. Honestly, I really don't understand why some of my colleagues act like such jerks when parents actually step up to help at home, especially when certain parts of this curriculum aren't even age-appropriate to begin with.
It truly infuriated me.. here is a child who has lived in the local library since she could walk, someone we constantly pick up books for and read together—and yet, for the first time ever, she actually burst into tears while reading. She's an excellent reader, too. It really makes me wonder what kind of idiot decided this belonged in a second-grade syllabus.

Mine is also in second grade, and Pinocchio isn't on our list.
So, if you ask me, the only "idiot" in this scenario seems to be the teacher.😛

urbantinker8 said:Mine is also in second grade, and Pinocchio isn't on our list.
So, if you ask me, the only "idiot" in this scenario seems to be the teacher.😛

But isn't the one who put it on the list really the one at fault? 🤔

http://www.scholastic.com/kids/books/reading-lists/

urbantinker8 said:Mine is also in second grade, and Pinocchio isn't on our list.
So, if you ask me, the only "idiot" in this scenario seems to be the teacher.😛

I was looking through the required reading lists recently, and it seems like *Pinocchio* is practically universal. It shows up on everyone's syllabus! I actually suspect it might even be mandatory at this point. While the specific books vary from one school district to another, there seems to be one constant thread: everyone has *Pinocchio* on their list.
Our supervisor only assigned it for the first of the month, so there's plenty of time to get it knocked out over the holiday weekend.

Peter Doyle2 said:But isn't the one who put it on the list really the one at fault? 🤔

http://www.scholastic.com/kids/books/reading-lists/

Well, no, I suppose the horse isn't the one who put it there, since Pinocchio isn't exactly War and Peace.
For decent quotes and keeping eight-year-olds interested—it's really nothing controversial at all.

Kate Cox2 said:I was looking through the required reading lists recently, and it seems like *Pinocchio* is practically universal. It shows up on everyone's syllabus! I actually suspect it might even be mandatory at this point. While the specific books vary from one school district to another, there seems to be one constant thread: everyone has *Pinocchio* on their list.
Our supervisor only assigned it for the first of the month, so there's plenty of time to get it knocked out over the holiday weekend.

The general recommended reading list for second grade includes about 19 books, where only one is strictly required (those Andersen fairy tales), while the teacher gets to pick four others exclusively.

So, yeah, that’s about all I have to say regarding the horses.😁

urbantinker8 said:Well, no, I suppose the horse isn't the one who put it there, since Pinocchio isn't exactly War and Peace.
For decent quotes and keeping eight-year-olds interested—it's really nothing controversial at all.

The general recommended reading list for second grade includes about 19 books, where only one is strictly required (those Andersen fairy tales), while the teacher gets to pick four others exclusively.

So, yeah, that’s about all I have to say regarding the horses.😁

Every single school in my city (and it's certainly not some tiny town) assigns Pinocchio to second graders. Just to satisfy my own curiosity, I reached out to some friends in Chicago, and they confirmed that at least three elementary schools there also teach Pinocchio in the second grade.
I have also confirmed this for two schools in San Diego and about a dozen schools across the Midwest. That is just based on my personal network—where I have friends working in schools or relatives with elementary-aged children.
The point is, Pinocchio isn't some bizarre outlier being read in second grade. I am not entirely sure if they are reading the original Pinocchio or some simplified adaptation, though I would assume it's the original.
Essentially, someone decided Pinocchio belongs in the second-grade curriculum. My only question is: who was this person who decided second graders could tackle Pinocchio all on their own? Did they ever actually look at a seven or eight-year-old child?

And let me be clear: this has nothing to do with whether kids are "interested readers." My own child is an exceptional reader and has been incredibly enthusiastic about books since she was very little. Last year, she was reading Anne Frank’s diaries all by herself. So, yes, she *can* read.
But this specific book contains such an overwhelming number of unfamiliar vocabulary words that it's frankly absurd... It simply isn't realistic to expect a second grader to navigate this independently.

Kate Cox2 said:Every single school in my city (and it's certainly not some tiny town) assigns Pinocchio to second graders. Just to satisfy my own curiosity, I reached out to some friends in Chicago, and they confirmed that at least three elementary schools there also teach Pinocchio in the second grade.
I have also confirmed this for two schools in San Diego and about a dozen schools across the Midwest. That is just based on my personal network—where I have friends working in schools or relatives with elementary-aged children.
The point is, Pinocchio isn't some bizarre outlier being read in second grade. I am not entirely sure if they are reading the original Pinocchio or some simplified adaptation, though I would assume it's the original.
Essentially, someone decided Pinocchio belongs in the second-grade curriculum. My only question is: who was this person who decided second graders could tackle Pinocchio all on their own? Did they ever actually look at a seven or eight-year-old child?

And let me be clear: this has nothing to do with whether kids are "interested readers." My own child is an exceptional reader and has been incredibly enthusiastic about books since she was very little. Last year, she was reading Anne Frank’s diaries all by herself. So, yes, she *can* read.
But this specific book contains such an overwhelming number of unfamiliar vocabulary words that it's frankly absurd... It simply isn't realistic to expect a second grader to navigate this independently.

I never actually said that Pinocchio was some strange anomaly for the second grade. Once it was included on the suggested reading list, it wasn't really a shock, and I'm sure there are plenty of teachers picking it from that list of, let me repeat, 5 titles that students are supposed to read.
I suppose you didn't really need to call up all those colleagues.
Personally, I don't think it's difficult at all for that age group, and it certainly doesn't seem unrealistic to expect an eighth grader to manage it—let alone anyone else—but then again, it's not my call.🙂
And of course, it does have everything to do with engaged kids and strong readers—my kid will swallow 200 pages in one sitting, or maybe two days max, without any trouble. If she hits a word she doesn't know, she just asks. It's no big deal.

urbantinker8 said:I never actually said that Pinocchio was some strange anomaly for the second grade. Once it was included on the suggested reading list, it wasn't really a shock, and I'm sure there are plenty of teachers picking it from that list of, let me repeat, 5 titles that students are supposed to read.
I suppose you didn't really need to call up all those colleagues.
Personally, I don't think it's difficult at all for that age group, and it certainly doesn't seem unrealistic to expect an eighth grader to manage it—let alone anyone else—but then again, it's not my call.🙂
And of course, it does have everything to do with engaged kids and strong readers—my kid will swallow 200 pages in one sitting, or maybe two days max, without any trouble. If she hits a word she doesn't know, she just asks. It's no big deal.

In that case, why not just hand him Pinocchio and see how he fares? Let us know how it goes...

Kate Cox2 said:In that case, why not just hand him Pinocchio and see how he fares? Let us know how it goes...

He actually read it over the summer, and I guess he actually liked it.😉

What were the most unsettling parts of Pinocchio? I used to find them absolutely fascinating when I was a kid. 😁

Mine isn't exactly a bookworm or anything, doesn't pick them up much.
Pinocchio was his first big read back in second grade, and he cruised through it without missing a beat.
He actually ended up loving it.

Sent from my FIG-LX1 via Tapatalk

Linda Price5 said:Back in my day, the librarian practically had to drag me out of the library by my ear; she was more like a surrogate grandmother to me given how much time I spent there. By seventh grade, I had already started copying assigned readings from older students who had different teachers, and later on, I became a regular fixture at the local bookstore picking up those titles.

There are certain things that seemed utterly moronic and uninteresting to me as a child, even if I did end up reading them, yet I find myself appreciating them quite deeply today.

I guess you're what people call an "exception to the rule" in this case, so it’s probably hard to really generalize based on your experience. 😁

-Steve

Really? I feel you—I basically grew up in the local library myself. I started transcribing required reading lists when I was just a kid, and honestly, looking back at my middle school and high school years, I probably only actually read three or four titles from those lists. I avoided the rest entirely out of pure spite for being forced to read certain books.

I did pick some up later on and felt pretty bad about misjudging them initially. Some others? Still haven't touched them and don't plan to, though maybe one day if I find the time. For instance, I have zero interest in revisiting *The Catcher in the Rye*, even though I can practically recite *Edge of Sanity* from memory. It’s such a shame they don't just assign an author and let people choose their own titles, like

Nowadays, I’m a moderate reader—actually, not much of a reader at all. I spend my time with all sorts of people, from folks who never touch a book to absolute bibliophiles... and honestly, who knows? You meet everyone. There are wonderful people and then there's just straight-up uncultured trash. I really don't think it's my place to judge someone based on their reading list; that's just not how I roll.

Though, granted, I'm not exactly hanging out at dive bars or local sports clubs, so maybe I don't run into as many people who struggle to spell their own names.

Christian Wilson28 said:Really? I feel you—I basically grew up in the local library myself. I started transcribing required reading lists when I was just a kid, and honestly, looking back at my middle school and high school years, I probably only actually read three or four titles from those lists. I avoided the rest entirely out of pure spite for being forced to read certain books.

I did pick some up later on and felt pretty bad about misjudging them initially. Some others? Still haven't touched them and don't plan to, though maybe one day if I find the time. For instance, I have zero interest in revisiting *The Catcher in the Rye*, even though I can practically recite *Edge of Sanity* from memory. It’s such a shame they don't just assign an author and let people choose their own titles, like

Nowadays, I’m a moderate reader—actually, not much of a reader at all. I spend my time with all sorts of people, from folks who never touch a book to absolute bibliophiles... and honestly, who knows? You meet everyone. There are wonderful people and then there's just straight-up uncultured trash. I really don't think it's my place to judge someone based on their reading list; that's just not how I roll.

Though, granted, I'm not exactly hanging out at dive bars or local sports clubs, so maybe I don't run into as many people who struggle to spell their own names.

But don't you think you might be kind of an outlier there? 😁

-Stipe

Kate Cox2 said:I was looking through the required reading lists recently, and it seems like *Pinocchio* is practically universal. It shows up on everyone's syllabus! I actually suspect it might even be mandatory at this point. While the specific books vary from one school district to another, there seems to be one constant thread: everyone has *Pinocchio* on their list.
Our supervisor only assigned it for the first of the month, so there's plenty of time to get it knocked out over the holiday weekend.

Not everyone has Pinocchio; my daughter didn't have it on her list.
But she did read it, just for fun, since she has that version published by Scholastic at home... I remember reading it to her a long time ago when she was little, and once she learned how, she started reading it all by herself.
I honestly find that story so lovely. It brings back such great memories from my own childhood. I don't really get why people are making such a big deal out of it.

The whole point of reading is to expand your vocabulary, so why would we expect kids to already know everything?

There are so many different versions out there, and honestly, it’s up to the teacher to specify which edition they want. My daughter's teacher used to read Winnie Pooh, but half the class had one translation and the other half had another, so the characters' names were slightly different. After that, the teacher usually just writes down exactly which edition they need to use.😬
I think it was similar with Peter Pan; there are so many different editions. (By the way, I personally found Peter Pan a bit more complex for that age group than Pinocchio, so I didn't see much drama there.🤷)