If someone said to you, "I don't like games," you'd probably be pretty skeptical. There are so many different types of games that it seems illogical for someone not to like any of them. The same thing goes for books. The only difference is that no one has ever told me they don't like playing games and that people frequently tell me they don't like reading.
The problem here lies in the education system. The books that kids are forced to read in high school turn teenagers off of reading. The novels that are read in english class are generally quite dry, slow, and full of unlikeable and/or boring characters. As someone who loves reading and writing, I see value in these books because of the influence they have had on other writers and because they often have significant historical meaning. But kids who already lean towards watching TV or playing video games over reading, can shine no positive light on these books. And I don't blame them.
I feel like schools have this crazy notion that the only options are these dry but "important for everyone to read in their life" novels or completely commercial books with absolutely zero depth. But there are so many other options. There are countless books that have important messages, use literary devices effectively, and are appealing to modern-day teenagers. We need books that teenagers can relate to! We need characters that they care about, that they are eager to see through to the end!
I'm not suggesting a completely change in the current selection of books that schools use. Not every book read in class needs to engage every student. But we do need to have some variety. High school is where we're supposed to try a whole bunch of subjects to help us figure out what we like. Schools should treat books in the same way. If students are given a taste of all sorts of books, they will be able to actually find the kind that they enjoy.
I'm worried that if students keep having to read these books, the number of people who "hate reading" is just going to increase. The more of the same, boring books students have to read, the more teenagers are going to assume they hate books in general.
The problem here lies in the education system. The books that kids are forced to read in high school turn teenagers off of reading. The novels that are read in english class are generally quite dry, slow, and full of unlikeable and/or boring characters. As someone who loves reading and writing, I see value in these books because of the influence they have had on other writers and because they often have significant historical meaning. But kids who already lean towards watching TV or playing video games over reading, can shine no positive light on these books. And I don't blame them.
I feel like schools have this crazy notion that the only options are these dry but "important for everyone to read in their life" novels or completely commercial books with absolutely zero depth. But there are so many other options. There are countless books that have important messages, use literary devices effectively, and are appealing to modern-day teenagers. We need books that teenagers can relate to! We need characters that they care about, that they are eager to see through to the end!
I'm not suggesting a completely change in the current selection of books that schools use. Not every book read in class needs to engage every student. But we do need to have some variety. High school is where we're supposed to try a whole bunch of subjects to help us figure out what we like. Schools should treat books in the same way. If students are given a taste of all sorts of books, they will be able to actually find the kind that they enjoy.
I'm worried that if students keep having to read these books, the number of people who "hate reading" is just going to increase. The more of the same, boring books students have to read, the more teenagers are going to assume they hate books in general.
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