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During the school year, the prospect of getting through the huge list of required books may seem daunting, but I hope you’ll also find that school-based reading can still be a wonderful experience.
After all…
- You’ll be forced to read some of those wonderful books that never would have made it into your hands otherwise. The books will open your eyes, expand your personal reading preferences, and grow as a reader (and human being).
- The classroom setting gives you the opportunity to expand your perceptions of reading and literature. Instead of just delving into the literary realms of your own imagination, you have the opportunity to explore history, culture, biography and so many other inciteful visions of the bibliosphere.
- It’s a great excuse to just hunker down and spend hours buried in a book. Let’s face it: guiltless-reading time becomes more difficult to justify as we all get older, graduate, and start our (hopefully successful) careers. Cherish every second!
- The more you read, the more you’ll discover how books inform every other academic discipline. Themes and topics overlap into other subjects (it’s why authors often spend so much time researching–to make sure they are presenting a work that will suck you in, and leave you wanting more).
- In the academic setting, you’ll also be encouraged to write about your reading, which often allows you to connect on an emotional level with a number of books. While the forced-homework aspect may be a turn-off for you, it’s also a lot of fun. It may just allow you to explore life, the universe and everything in new and exciting ways. You may also discover that you want/need to write…
So, if you’re having a hard time seeing the benefit of reading in a school- or college-based setting, take a step back. Consider that the reading list will NOT go on forever. The school (or college) year(s) will end eventually. Then, you can return to your regular reading schedule, with your preferred titles.
So, what do you think? Do you love the school reading list? Do you hate the books? What methods have you discovered–to cope with the prescribed reading list?