Why schools don't make book lovers.

 

School is all about books, that is what we all know in general. But do schools and their strict reading pattern that is meant to make students embrace life in different views make students book lovers? There is a study that shows that 33% of high school students and 42% of college students will never read another book after they graduate. We all like flexibility in our patterns some times to fix a few issues but not when it comes to students who have very specific time periods for reading which seems to be that boring. It feels different when you started washing dishes on your own than when your mum reminds you that you have to wash dishes. This is where schools get students wrong, breeding very few book lovers in the course of their studies.

You can’t force someone to love books, but you can tempt them to become a dedicated devourer of stories, says Teresa Cremin.

Students are told that it is a must to read English and literature books which in turn seems to be a forced idea. Then remember that that which is forced is not interesting to do. Reading for pleasure is a legal requirement within the English NC, but it does not make sense to make pleasure mandatory. The reading of the classic novels over a long period of time and then dissecting deep into the novels just draws many students away from books. Instead, we need to make them enticed and invite them into imaginative reading and engagement with the world of bibliophiles. Rather than having students read classical works form the greatest authors in a noble way. People prefer having to read because it is a habit they like or they have a natural impulse to do so. Forcing them into falling into a reading habit brings totally different results.

 

Schools have a very fixed schedule

Schools have reached out to thousands of people which means that that is a high number of people to control. Having a strict schedule and timetable makes it necessary to keep everything in order. For example, not all students can afford to wake up early for a library reading session. Some book lover students prefer reading late in the night. This becomes an inconvenience to them. Just like those who like reading in the morning for long hours may not like it when they are told to read in the evening, regardless of the fact that there are few who can read at any time of the day. Sometimes it is just human for you not to feel like doing anything, but not to use this as an excuse of laziness. If the schedule is that strict like for schools, then no book lovers can be bred from students graduating from school.

Schools limit a bibliophile’s reading time

Regardless of schools having a fixed reading schedule for students, they also limit the time they take in one reading session. Some may take up to three hours of constant reading which may be a very short time for reading for book lovers. You may find out that to others, two hours of reading is a very long time. They prefer one hour of maximum concentration. It is hard to find out a specific period of time that favors almost all students with different characters. Some book lovers read for a certain period of time depending on the book. If the book starts getting boring, some consider hoping out and coming back later. Asking such a guy to sit down and continue reading one more hour hurts as well. This makes students to hate books just for the fact that their time spent on books has been specified.

Library fee is overpriced

Schools charge students handsomely for the library as part of their school fee for books they will not own nor do they have the freedom to stay with them for a longer period of time. This high amount of charging may be justified by the fact that it exposes the students on a wide variety of books to choose from. From a different point of view, book lovers prefer having a library of their own. Knowing what books they need and getting to exchange one book with another from a friend. If all students could buy at least five books at the start of a semester, they will have saved a little bit of money and still get to own the books they read.

Students are not allowed to own the books

Every book lover wants to have a book by his/her side knowing that he/she has total ownership and responsibility to take care of the book. Schools do not give them a chance when it comes to this. They are only allowed to borrow and stay with the books within a limited period of time. Book lovers judge others based on their bookshelves. They all want to have a hip of books that they can show to other book lovers and have something to talk about. Come to think of it, you would rather take good care of a book that you have the choice of how long it will last rather than that which is handled by many people; many who may care less. This drives many students away from books because no one wants to keep reading books that may be damaged or written all over by other people. Students are also only allowed to borrow books for a specified period of time. Limiting their time makes them incur extra costs if they do not return a book on time.

Schools try to make people change by making them read.

We all come to find out that the reading patterns of students are determined to achieve a certain goal. To teach students different ways to approach life by making them to dissect classical literature books that they themselves do not feel like doing so at all times. The school schedule is not able to make a perfect timing of when a student may be needing financial help or when  Wildlife and Animals books is all he needs. We do not read books because it was a must for us to read, we all have different reasons to read books at different times of the year. Trying to pursue someone to read books so that he/she can embrace life just ends up achieving a totally opposite goal from what was initially set.

Books that schools provide do not appeal to all students.

We all have different tastes of different things based on our personality and what we have been through. It is not a surprise to meet five or ten bibliophiles who read totally different genres of books. Some prefer reading kids/children books over autobiography books. Trying to convince someone to read a particular genre of books just deters them from books entirely. For what is the purpose of reading financial books when all you need is self-help books for your current situation? Having no freedom of choice hinder one from getting the enjoyment that books give book lovers.

Monitoring every student’s activity while reading

Book lovers like it when they can wake up and grab a cup of coffee in the middle of their reading session. Some take turns in reading whereby they pause for a moment to check their social media before moving on. It is also acceptable to have some breaks in your reading session and do anything you want as long as it does not direct you away from your book. This is not the same when it comes to schools. Some only give you two hours of strict reading and doing nothing else. Even though one may say that that helps them to gain flow in whatever they do, it still brings inconveniences.

Tests that revolve around books read

Students want to read books or novels for pleasure. Pleasure does not mean having questioned about a certain character and being graded in consideration to your understanding. As long as students take their time to read and understand whatever their author is conveying, forgetting one or two random things may not be that of a big deal. They can always come back to the same place and reread. Asking the deep and literal meaning of different character’s statements just makes book reading boring. Book lovers grow when they have the freedom to read and understand the best way they can, without any threat of scoring less marks due to a misunderstanding somewhere.