Most high school English classes require students to read assigned books, but according to both students and teachers, it is more beneficial to be able to choose a book to read and write about. 

Reading is for some, but not all. But many people have a book that when they pick it up, they can’t put it down. This is the case for a lot of students, English assignments often revolve around books that they’re uninterested in and consider to be boring. A student, who wished to remain anonymous, reported that they find that they are more focused and more likely to work harder on English assignments when they read a book in class that they have interest in. They also said that when they find themself doing work on a forced book, they get bored easily, and subsequently put in less effort. Furthermore, when asked about how having choice over what books she reads in class affected her work ethic, freshman Alex Greenburg stated that “When I read my own book, I do feel more focused rather than sitting in class reading a book in class that I was forced to read by a teacher.”

In addition, according to FLHS 9th grade English teacher Ms. D’Andrea, students are far more likely to read when they are reading their own books rather than reading an assigned novel. “There’s a lot of research around student choice and it’s direct to how much they read. They’re definitely more motivated to read.” In addition to this, D’Andrea then stated that “I think the task is getting kids to learn how to choose books that they want to read and finding that ‘just right book’ because that can be also challenging for kids, [as] they might pick something up and they think they like it from the cover or the back.”

Students and teachers alike think it is more beneficial to allow students to have the opportunity to choose their own books to read in class. Limiting students to a pre chosen book in a curriculum will not allow them to learn to the fullest. And a change should be made so students can exercise their full potential.