Negative effects of required reading
Commonly assigned novels, many of which have been in the high school curriculum for decades.
Every school year, students share a common dread: required reading. Whether it is the books that students have to read over the summer or during the school year, it is not unusual to hear the groans of loathing from students. These negative feelings towards reading have created many students that resent the activity altogether.
The purpose of mandated reading is to encourage students to read literature that holds significance to today’s society or helped shape the past. However, instead, it causes people to hesitate picking up books later in life because of the resulting negative experiences. For this reason, school-mandated reading should be discontinued, as it does not benefit students’ relationship with reading and literature.
Required reading is used to create a uniform environment in the classroom and to make sure the same material is being taught, but there are other ways to accomplish this. By having English classes focus less on the specific content of books, such as giving comprehensive reading quizzes, the teachers could instead have broader assignments that highlight the class’ ability to analyze a book.
For example, a teacher could have their students look for symbolism throughout their individual books and write down what the author is trying to accomplish. The activity would not only demonstrate the students’ understanding of what literary devices are, but also if they can correctly identify and interpret them on their own. These types of activities do not require every student to be reading the same book. They offer the same educational value while also giving the students the freedom of choice in the book they analyze.
Another reason why schools use mandatory reading is that it ensures that all students are reading at the same reading level for school. Some people fear that by getting rid of mandated books, students will start to read books below their reading-level, or that they will not be encouraged to expand their comprehension level.
To solve this problem, teachers can give a list of approved books to students, and if a student wants to read a book outside of the list, then they can get it approved by the teacher. This will allow the teachers to have control over the reading level of their students and it would also allow them to make sure that the books contain the literary concepts that they want the students to observe. While providing a list of approved books does limit the students’ freedom of choice to an extent, it will still allow them to have some control over the books they read rather than none.
Giving students the freedom to read what they want will limit the distaste students feel for reading, encouraging them to continue reading outside of school and into their adult lives. Mandated reading only suppresses people’s interests in literature, for the benefits it presents can be accomplished with other methods.
Sarah is a senior at Clover Hill High School and this is her first year working on the Chronicle. She has joined the Chronicle as a way to express her...
Christopher Hernandez • Mar 23, 2025 at 8:53 pm
I partly disagree with the article’s opinion about school-mandated reading to be discontinued because unlike the reasion “as it does not benefit students’ relationship with reading and literature,” me personally, it did the opposite.
First, while I do agree that mandated reading encourages “students to read literature that holds significance to today’s society or helped shape the past.” it should never cause “people to hesitate picking up books later in life because of the resulting negative experiences.” In my Honors English 11 class with Mr. Kaskay, I read two books: There, There, and The Great Gatsby; and the play, The Crucible, which I enjoyed all of them; however, when I first read them, I wasn’t enjoying them as much. Though I didn’t hate them at first, I simply had to read more of these texts and interpret them all the way to the end to truly feel enjoyment in what I read, no matter how much enjoyment it was and my lack to judge them by their book covers. Though all three texts were definitely challenging, I strongly feel my opinion about the first reason in helping me partially disagree with the article’s opinion.
Second, while I do agree that there are others way to accomplish mandated reading apart from being “used to create a uniform environment in the classroom and to make sure the same material is being taught,” I believe that it is still important to be mandated to read certain books, especially in a near holistic approach by reading a mandated book, taking assignments related to it, and looking through other sources for help as tools instead of reading different books. In the English class I’m taking, which we read The Great Gatsby in class and on our own, we had a character chart sheet with two pages to fill out; questions on Actively Learn to answer, both multiple-choice and own response; and a seminar to participate in, which I enjoyed, not forgetting about using Sparknotes to guide me as a tool. This shows that even students in a class reading the same mandated book with classwork can be engaging and fun, though others may think the opposite with reading their own books instead.
Third, even though schools use mandatory reading to ensure “that all students are reading at the same reading level for school,” which I agree with, I like how my English teacher gave out a list of book recommendations (ex. banned books) for my class instead of a list of approved books as he approves or disapproves books if he feels like they are not at the grade level I’m in (Yes, I’m a junior at the time of publishing this comment). I acknowledge that some students are not at the same reading level as an average or above-average student like me, but I truly think students who are falling behind at minimum C English levels in high school should receive tutoring or private time with their English teachers to help them improve their reading skills instead of reading below their grade levels, helping benefit their relationship with reading and literature.
Even though there are students who dislike mandated reading, no matter if it’s partial or as a whole, I agree on my overall opinion about partly disagreeing with the article’s opinion about school-mandated reading to be discontinued because I believe that students should simply read more of a mandated book and interpret it to enjoy it at any level, take a near holistic approach to reading a mandated book with assignments and looking through other sources as tools, and simply ask for help on a mandated book and to help find a sustained silent reading (SSR) book to read that a student can enjoy.