By Sloane Samberson
Staff Writer
It’s 1 o’clock in the morning, all your hope is lost. You have been stuck on the same chapter for over an hour now and do not think you will ever finish the four chapters your teacher assigned for homework. How will you persevere? This happened the year before.
Each year most of the same books are required for Coppell High School students to read before or during a new school year. Students find it more of a drag to read these old books that make little to no sense, so why should we waste our time reading something so irrelevant and complicated if we are not going to get anything out of it?
Silas Marner, 1984 and The Scarlet Letter are only a few of the books that learners have to read during their high school career. All of these books were written before or during the 20th century and their relevancy is not quite up to date with our vast 21st century knowledge.
Of course there is a great importance for old literature. It teaches timeless lessons and challenges the mind, but if you are not obtaining any knowledge from it, why read it?
Students have enough stress put on them through extra curricular activities and studying for tests. They should not be required to read books that add even more to their stress load.
Whatever happened to reading for pleasure? Reading is supposed to be enlightening, not a dread. If students had a choice as to what they could read, English class would be a lot more enjoyable.
My peers and I have been reading Silas Marner this year and I can vouch for everyone in my class that it seems to be one of the most complicated stories ever written. I have spent hours upon hours attempting to comprehend this book, and I am still confused. Some students will even give up on the book and look to SparkNotes in order to find a smidgen of hope in passing their reading tests and assignments.
My teacher even admitted that she did not fully understand the book. If your teacher cannot even comprehend the book, then how are you supposed to? One huge aspect of teaching is helping your students understand when there is unclarity. Teachers do not expect you to know everything, that’s why they are there to teach you.
If English teachers want their students to actually read books, give them some leeway as to what they can read, maybe they would start to enjoy your class. Reading has so many benefits if you are able to obtain and understand its information. It expands your vocabulary, creativity and imagination.
It would be very beneficial if the school board got together and revised the list of required reading with books of the 21st century. Books written recently actually relate to our day to day lives and are much more engaging. The students will greatly appreciate reading literature of their time and interests.
