For most people, high school English class probably didn’t help them want to read more. It’s not their fault, not everyone is into the classics that are the required reading in English classes currently. There are certain lessons that are required to be taught in high school.

While it might be easier, in general, to teach those lessons with the classics, it is not the only way. Part of what we forget to do in high school English courses is ensure a lifelong enjoyment of reading. The major lessons of writing are taught but at the expense of students losing enjoyment in reading. I’m not saying to drop the classics completely by any means since some do enjoy them, but maybe we should take a page from colleges.

In college, with many of the literature classes, you have some mandatory texts while there are simultaneously a few areas where the student gets to choose what to read with some limitations. Sometimes it is the genre, others it is historical relevance, and other times it is geographical. Granted, there would have to be more limitations put on what students could choose from.

Starting is simple since the teacher starts by figuring out which core lessons they will teach each year. Then they talk to the local librarian to get an idea of what is popular with the age group of their students. From there they make a list of four choices that hopefully speak to the students as well as teach the core lessons that they want taught.

That still leaves the question of how does this help the students beyond just encouraging them to enjoy reading? Think back to when you were in high school for a minute. How much better did you do on assignments and learning when you were really into them? I know I did much better.

There are those who will argue that students have to learn to do things they don’t want to in life. They forget that they already do since they are in class every day and do homework at night. Also, honestly, no one must do a job they truly despise in this country. They may choose to at times since they need the money, but nothing is forcing them to stay in that job or even line of work forever.

Revising English classes this way helps get into linguistics as well as the style writers use when writing. The teacher can have students read parts out loud in class and explain how it fits into the lesson as well as how it compares to other excerpts from other works.

This helps in vetting sources from the news and research in other subjects as well. Along with creating better and more creative communication skills in students. Today, we need this greatly with the language skills that our students need fresh out of high school for any workplace. Revising English classes is not just to help writers or the future but all students in the present. Since no one should be denied the enjoyment of reading by an assignment for class.

*Tips his hat and walks out the door heading for the local bookstore.*