Assigned Reading

    Assigned reading is not intended to torture or be cruel to readers.  This reading has a reason, which is generally to enhance, clarify, or teach concepts that are too complex to be taught in a classroom.  People should stop complaining about required reading and just do it.
     
Starting a new book is often the most difficult part.  The characters may be confusing or the plot may seem too hard to grasp.  These are just a few of the reasons that people get bogged down in the start.  They can’t see past the first, daunting pages, and this leads to frustration.  Once the reader gives up on a book, it is very hard to start reading again.  Thus, the first few pages can be critical, and a slow start may put a stop to any excitement that a reader may have originally had.  If reading continues, though, it becomes easier to understand.  The brain changes and adapts to the different styles of writing, and once this happens, the book often becomes hard to put down.  Once this occurs, reading is no longer a chore, but a fun and exciting pastime.  

Then, once a reader realizes that reading is enjoyable and not a problem, the requirements don’t seem so overwhelming.  No longer does a book assigned in class inflict pain.  It can now be an opportunity to try new things.  That is another perk of reading different things.  The reader experiences books that, at first glance, would be disregarded as uninteresting, but, as they are forced to read it, they learn things that they enjoy and can relate to.   Students can be exposed to a broad variety of books, and this is greatly beneficial.  

When assigned reading is completed early, the concepts learned from the book can aid students in schoolwork.  If students can remember that the book was assigned for a reason, it can help them do better.  Plus, finishing the reading earlier gives people more time to comprehend and understand the book.  If the book is not read until the last moment, many important concepts may be missed.  It is hard to enjoy a book that causes stress and makes a person stay up all night.  Too often, the stress experienced is blamed on the book.  It is not the book, nor the author’s fault.  It is the person who lazily put it off, day after day, until the deadline was upon them.  Then, the book had to be force read, which is never an enjoyable experience.  To avoid all of these problems, a book must simply be started and finished earlier.

Assigned reading is not a horrible experience.  It is a great tool to teach and expose students to new genres of writing.   It also helps students become better readers.  Required reading would not seem such a hard task, if it were begun earlier.  Students often get stuck in the beginning and give up before the book truly has time to develop. If they consistently read, even though it may seem hard, they will eventually be able to better understand and better comprehend the book.  Once this happens, they will also be able to understand concepts that are being taught in the classroom.  As students stop complaining about assigned reading, begin earlier, read more consistently, and finish the books quicker, they will not only avoid a painful experience, but, with this little effort put forth, the student may get a lot out of it.