What's the point of required reading?

brightpuma said:Ugh, don't even get me started... 🙄

What about math and physics? You need math skills for physics way before you've actually covered them. You end up with physics teachers explaining stuff you aren't supposed to learn in math class for months, just so you can actually solve the problem.

I get it,

but that whole mess isn't really because math and physics aren't "compatible"—it's just a symptom of a broken American education system.

I mean, you're supposed to lay the foundation first before you start building upward, right?
You wouldn't slap a roof on a house before you've even poured the concrete for the basement...

So, my takeaway is that we should probably avoid drifting off-topic with all those other issues😬
The American education system needs a total overhaul—and I don't just mean changing the reading list.

Maybe our grandkids will actually see that happen🤔

Peter Doyle2 said:So, my takeaway is that we should probably avoid drifting off-topic with all those other issues😬
The American education system needs a total overhaul—and I don't just mean changing the reading list.

Maybe our grandkids will actually see that happen🤔

Check it out. There’s a whole debate going on over in the other thread about religion classes... 😬

Required reading is basically just a way to get kids who hate books to actually pick one up. It gets them thinking, though.

Sixth grade reading list says "fairy tale" is mandatory. They say Regoč is just for fourth graders. But honestly? That’s total BS. The whole book is actually assigned in fourth grade. Why 👎🤷😕?

Andrew Rivera3 said:Required reading is basically just a way to get kids who hate books to actually pick one up. It gets them thinking, though.

Was it World Fluff Day? 😁

I’ve said it a million times already: having required reading in schools is a huge win. The real issue, though, is the actual selection of books. Here in the States, the quality can be a total disaster; the reading lists feel incredibly dated and uninspiring, which is something I remember all too well from my own school days. I can't quite recall the author, but has anyone here ever been forced to read "The Awakening"? It was such a slog, and even our English teacher admitted it was unbearable, openly questioning why on earth they assigned it to us in the first place. Most of these classics just don't hit the mark for modern students. Personally, if it were up to me, I’d swap out those dusty old novels for something much more engaging, like *The Hunger Games*, for seventh graders. 😁

I honestly feel so lucky that school requires
assigned reading. If it weren't for that, my daughter wouldn't touch anything except maybe a Winx Club magazine, some Barbie news, Smib, My Planet, or perhaps a stray recipe for chocolate chip cookies.
I actually started bringing her to the local library when she was just three years old—
we made it a regular habit to go every week for storytime sessions and picture book readings, which we always paired with some little creative art projects.
It’s quite ironic, really... as much as I live for a good book, she seems to actively dodge them—my own daughter!

At least she did "inherit" the ability to read from me,
which means she’s actually the fastest reader in her class—both in English and her other subjects—which caught me totally off guard, considering how many years we spent working with speech therapists.

Linda Price5 said:Was it World Fluff Day? 😁

Look, it might sound like total fluff, but I'm dead serious here.
If even one kid out of a hundred—one of those students whose parents think mandatory reading lists are a complete waste of time—actually picks up a book and gets hooked... then mission accomplished! That's a win in my book.

What’s even the point of assigned reading....?

If nothing else, take a moment to look closely at your child's vocabulary and then maybe spend some time getting lost in the pages of Smith's dictionary....

Do you really want your kid growing up to be Jack Harper?

amberskipper3 said:Look, it might sound like total fluff, but I'm dead serious here.
If even one kid out of a hundred—one of those students whose parents think mandatory reading lists are a complete waste of time—actually picks up a book and gets hooked... then mission accomplished! That's a win in my book.

I haven't kept up with the current school reading lists, but back in elementary school, I was practically a permanent resident of the local library, reading like a fanatic. When people stared at me because I was always buried in a book while they struggled to finish even the bare minimum required for class, I could never quite find the right way to explain it to them. I couldn't tell them that I also found the assigned reading a chore, and that there is an entire world of genuinely fascinating literature out there beyond the syllabus.

We’re just getting started with our school year, but man, looking back at what I had to read versus the list my kid is staring at today... I can't help but feel like school reading lists are basically designed to kill any actual desire to read, even for kids who actually enjoy it.

Jason Ortiz5 said:We’re just getting started with our school year, but man, looking back at what I had to read versus the list my kid is staring at today... I can't help but feel like school reading lists are basically designed to kill any actual desire to read, even for kids who actually enjoy it.

Honestly, I’m right there with you. I mean, we live in an era filled with such incredibly vibrant and wonderful children's literature, yet they insist on clinging to this same stale rotation of books that my parents probably had to suffer through too...
Look, I get it—these are famous authors and significant historical figures, but for heaven's sake, show a little creativity! Has anyone actually bothered to ask parents or kids what they actually find engaging? Because forcing them to slog through these texts is just miserable... if they absolutely have to read for school, then at least give them something that doesn't feel like a chore...
Instead of acting like we should all be standing in awe of Aesop's fables like they're some kind of revolutionary masterpiece!!

What’s even the point of reading the death of a historical figure?! That book is straight-up disgusting.

Linda Price5 said:I haven't kept up with the current school reading lists, but back in elementary school, I was practically a permanent resident of the local library, reading like a fanatic. When people stared at me because I was always buried in a book while they struggled to finish even the bare minimum required for class, I could never quite find the right way to explain it to them. I couldn't tell them that I also found the assigned reading a chore, and that there is an entire world of genuinely fascinating literature out there beyond the syllabus.

I read everything except the assigned school books, and now I’m starting to regret that. Even those required lists have some gems hidden in them. I definitely need to go back and catch up.

I grew up as a total bookworm, devouring everything from the required reading lists to whatever I could get my hands on, at least until my workload at NYU completely crushed my soul 🙂. It honestly eats at me that back in school, nobody ever bothered to ask us what we were actually reading outside of the mandatory curriculum. If teachers had just sparked a single discussion or even kept a casual log of our personal interests, it might have changed things. I truly believe that engaging with students' actual interests would fuel that drive in young readers, and maybe even catch the attention of those who usually claim they hate books. 🙂

Elizabeth Fowler46 said:I grew up as a total bookworm, devouring everything from the required reading lists to whatever I could get my hands on, at least until my workload at NYU completely crushed my soul 🙂. It honestly eats at me that back in school, nobody ever bothered to ask us what we were actually reading outside of the mandatory curriculum. If teachers had just sparked a single discussion or even kept a casual log of our personal interests, it might have changed things. I truly believe that engaging with students' actual interests would fuel that drive in young readers, and maybe even catch the attention of those who usually claim they hate books. 🙂

My American literature professor gave me grief just because I was reading Jane Austen. 😁 Let's call it a "discussion," if you will. 😢 😁

I’ll be the first to admit I haven't powered through every single book on the required reading list, but honestly, Madame Bovary is just on another level. If they ever decide to overhaul the curriculum, they really ought to keep that one in the mix—or maybe swap it for Anna Karenina. I'm totally with the idea that the reading list needs an update, though.

Linda Price5 said:My American literature professor gave me grief just because I was reading Jane Austen. 😁 Let's call it a "discussion," if you will. 😢 😁

I’d bet my life savings that my professor hadn't even cracked half the books she was lecturing about, especially when it came to the world classics. 😁

Chloe Roberts2 said:I’ll be the first to admit I haven't powered through every single book on the required reading list, but honestly, Madame Bovary is just on another level. If they ever decide to overhaul the curriculum, they really ought to keep that one in the mix—or maybe swap it for Anna Karenina. I'm totally with the idea that the reading list needs an update, though.

So, what's the logic here? Just because someone likes a book, it means it deserves a permanent spot on the syllabus? 😁

David Price5 said:Mastering critical reading, analytical reasoning, and logical deduction... even diving deep into the history of humanity itself.

If only life were actually that straightforward. I recall many an instance during my university days where if you dared to present an interpretation of a text that didn't align perfectly with what my professor expected, you were promptly penalized with a lower grade. It’s quite a cynical take on the supposed "freedom" of critical thought, isn't it? 👎