{"id":9119,"date":"2022-06-21T23:28:17","date_gmt":"2022-06-22T04:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/?p=9119"},"modified":"2022-06-21T23:28:17","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T04:28:17","slug":"rewards-of-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/?p=9119","title":{"rendered":"Rewards of Reading"},"content":{"rendered":"

Assigned reading. For most students, it is a long, arduous, and boring task. In a generation surrounded by technology and social media, many teenagers would say there are much better ways to invest their time than to read. However, this school is different.<\/span><\/p>\n

For as long as most students, past and present, can remember, the “outside reading” program has been a foundation for the education at the school. Sons that are students now are reading some of the same books that their fathers have read when they were at the school. Why is it important to read the outside reading books? There are many beneficial aspects to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes to picking the books that are put on the outside reading list, it is a very simple and organized process. \u201cWe [the English teachers] choose it,\u201d said Mr. Edward Dodge, senior English teacher. \u201cThere are several [factors when choosing the books]. A lot of the books, we\u2019ve had on the list for quite some time. In some cases, Father Tribou selected the books. But primarily, the factors are varied, and they alter a little bit depending on grade level.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the freshmen year, we want a combination of books that are readable, fun, and will attract the attention of the students,\u201d said Mr. Dodge. \u201cSo y<\/span>ou\u2019re going to get Agatha Christie\u2019s <\/span>And Then There Were None<\/span><\/i>. But you\u2019re also going to get William Golding\u2019s <\/span>Lord of the Flies<\/span><\/i> and [John] Steinbeck\u2019s <\/span>Of Mice and Men<\/span><\/i>. So that\u2019s kind of the angle for freshman and sophomore year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you get to junior and senior year, the emphasis is more on what we would call \u2018canon,\u2019\u201d said Mr. Dodge. \u201cBooks that are culturally important. With American literature [in junior year], there is more of a focus on American writers. With British literature [in senior year], it\u2019s half British writers and half world authors, but all of them are canon for western culture.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For many of the books on the outside reading list, there are quite a few that some might consider \u201ccontroversial.\u201d There is a reason why these books have made the list. \u201cWe better explain [those books],\u201d said Father Patrick Friend, freshman English teacher. \u201cBecause to not say anything about it might give an implicit nod of approval. That\u2019s clearly not why we choose them. In many ways, these books are like lightning rods because they are so pivotal and important. It would be a really simplistic reading to see [only] the controversial aspect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With many controversial books on the outside reading list, many would suspect that parents might oppose their sons reading them. However, that is not true. \u201cI\u2019ve been teaching the same book list for a very long time,\u201d said Mr. Dodge. \u201cI\u2019ve never had any complaints. There might have been, like 20 years ago, some questions about <\/span>The Catcher in the Rye<\/span><\/i>. But it is obviously important for canon, and Fr. Tribou put it on the book list.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

J.D. Salinger\u2019s <\/span>The Catcher in the Rye<\/span><\/i> has been a favorite outside reading book for some students. \u201cI\u2019ve really enjoyed [it],\u201d said junior Elias Found. \u201cIt\u2019s mainly for the fact that I\u2019ve been able to laugh and sympathize with Holden, [the protagonist], but I\u2019ve also really enjoyed talking about the book in class, discussing Holden and his loss of innocence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With all the books on the outside reading list, it might be a while before major changes come. \u201cSignificantly, I don\u2019t perceive [the list will change] in the near future,\u201d said Mr. Dodge. \u201cI think there are some tweaks that we can do here and there. It\u2019s a balancing act because, on the one hand, you don\u2019t want to just toss a book out because it\u2019s challenging. On the other hand, if students are not consistently reading it, year after year, and if you as a teacher have tried to alter your approach to entice it, and it\u2019s not changing, it might be worth considering trying to find a similar text. But I don\u2019t think we\u2019re not going to change all eight [books each year].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Reading the outside reading books can have great benefits, including health benefits. According to a study done by Arkansas State University (ASU), reading \u201chelps develop students\u2019 cognitive abilities. Students who read proficiently have an easier time absorbing and processing new information, which can improve learning across the curriculum.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, the study shows that reading \u201cfosters imagination, creativity and critical thought \u2014 engrossing narratives draw readers into complex and self-generated imagistic worlds. Developing strong reading skills and overall communication literacy can build self-confidence and sharpen social skills, leading to improved collaboration.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Another benefit of reading the outside reading books is being more open to reading more of them. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m a lot more open to reading than I used to be,\u201d said Found. \u201cI consider all the books we\u2019ve read that I never would never have read before, like Elie Wiesel\u2019s <\/span>Night<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>James D. Houston\u2019s and Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston\u2019s <\/span>Farewell to Manzanar<\/span><\/i>. I\u2019m pretty glad I read them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The mental benefits of reading the outside reading books have an immense effect. \u201cReading creates a unique form of consciousness,\u201d said Dr. Raymond Mar, professor of psychology, in Johann Hari\u2019s book, <\/span>Stolen Focus: Why You Can\u2019t Pay Attention\u2013and How to Think Deeply Again.<\/span><\/i> \u201cWhile we\u2019re reading, we\u2019re directing attention outward toward the words on the page and, at the same time, enormous amounts of attention is going inward as we imagine and mentally stimulate. It\u2019s being structured\u2013but our attention is in a very unique place, fluctuating both toward the page, toward the words, and then inward, toward what those words represent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of the books on the outside reading list are fictional. Although the stories aren\u2019t true, reading fiction is still positive for the reader. \u201cYou find yourself trying to understand the different characters, their motivations, their goals, tracking those different things,\u201d said Dr. Mar. \u201cIt\u2019s a form of practice. We\u2019re probably using the same kinds of cognitive processes that we would use to understand our real peers in the real world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the greatest reasons why a student should read the outside reading books is because of the experience, just like in one\u2019s existence. \u201cLife is made to enjoy things,\u201d said Fr. Friend. \u201cNot just the utilitarian existence. We are made for more than utility. We are made to find things beautiful and wrestle with things. It\u2019s not just about the outcome, it\u2019s about the journey. You think about you as a person. You are so much more than the cold facts of your life. You are your motivation. You are the setting that you are around. You are the emotions when you\u2019re going through this or that. You are the conflicts afterward, and the feelings after a big event.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my favorite quotations is \u2018the person who reads lives a thousand lives and the person who does not only lives one,\u2019\u201d said Fr. Friend. \u201cI think [the students] are just really missing out on an immersive world that would expand their minds. In reading, you have to invest yourself a little bit. As with anything, I think that we find that, even though it\u2019s more work on the front end, we enjoy things that we actually give ourselves toward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Assigned reading. For most students, it is a long, arduous, and boring task. In a generation surrounded by technology and social media, many teenagers would say there are much better ways to invest their time than to read. However, this school is different. For as long as most students, past and present, can remember, the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":97,"featured_media":9121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[360,196],"tags":[143],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/liftoffnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG_2584.jpeg?fit=3000%2C3000&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3xfZw-2n5","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9119"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/97"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9119"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9177,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9119\/revisions\/9177"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}