Readers' Choice

                For the second half of my senior year, I chose to take my high school's new english class, "Readers' Choice". As the name implies, the students in the class get to pick their reading material, along certain guidelines, and then apply the school assignments to their individual choices. The class strives to have its students realize the value and joy of reading, while improving students' writing and reading comprehension.
               I fell in love with reading when I first stole my brother's Harry Potter books and read them by flashlight after my 8:30 bedtime. And although I still have my beloved copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer Stone, reading for me now remains mostly in the dull works of McGraw Hill and Campbell. The constrictive nature of the high school reading assignments in conjunction with the constant demand to process fantastic works worth endless conversations into one page essays limited my enjoyment of the most appreciated works, such as The Great Gatsby, Huckleberry Finn, and Streetcar Named Desire. As I plowed through pages of textbooks and examples of great American literature these past few years, my list of must-reads grew without a single page being turned.
               Readers' Choice is welcomed variety in my required reading. My initial excitement over this course has proven to be less than what the class deserves. Instead of only having an excuse to read my desired literature, I read books suggested by friends, others topping best seller lists, and those turned into movies. Absorbed in a pop culture society of books, my class (or "book club") debated and shared their favorite scenes and challenged each others' opinions and predictions. Unlike any other English Class, my peers and I are enthused to discuss books and finally understand the special community created by books. Spending the time to understand and reflect on each book by talking with classmates and writing reviews has encouraged us to consider the message of our books and apply those lessons to our own lives or understand someone else's situation.
               When my class voted to read Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick, I was less than excited. However, by our first discussion I was as passionately involved in Pat's battle against his mental illness as anyone else. In fact, our discussion ran over our class period and had to be finished the next day. By the end of the book, I felt my tolerance for things I did not understand expand because of the introspective journey my class and I took lead by Pat Peoples and his recuperating sanity.
              The ability to pick what we read has encouraged students to actually read. By reading about subjects that speak to us, instead of the board of education, we understand the value of reading and establish healthy reading habits. Readers' Choice has breathed life into the fire Harry Potter started and textbooks almost stomped out.
http://ladue-frontenac.patch.com/articles/should-students-choose-the-books-they-read-for-school