Your ideal 21st century English class reading list. This is
difficult to pinpoint. Since so many kids have different opinions, there's
bound to be at least someone who doesn't like the assigned book. The goal would
be to try to appeal to the majority then. I think that each time a student has
to read a book, there should be at least two options to pick from. That way,
the student feels as though they have some opinion into what they will be
reading. The lists could vary each year depending on what is popular. They
could choose between mandatory reads we have now like Romeo and Juliet,
Crucible, or Into the Wild. I do think there is some value to classics. Or they
could choose between current bestselling books like The Hunger Games, Harry
Potter, My Sister's Keeper, etc. Of course, I am biased toward what books I
like and what I don't like but if a group came together to discuss what books
the majority likes, then you could find a good balance. Teenagers need
something that catches their interest. If you generalize the public and pick a
random book that hopefully people like, then you probably won’t find much luck. A love of reading comes from a love of books. It’s all about preference.
I agree with your logic. Appealing to the majority will always be the most desired course of action by any school, but they overlook the possibility of alienating the few who they aren't going to appeal to. This variable is often deemed "less important" than the majority, and this logic plants the seeds of Readicide. There needs to be something there for them.
ReplyDeleteI really love your idea about giving students an option between two books. I agree that students will be more inclined to liking a book if they feel like they chose it. Even if they didn't like either option, they choose the one that's more appealing to them and they choose the "lesser of two evils" almost.
ReplyDelete