In
terms of reading material, high school me was a pretty typical teenage girl; I
was a sucker for a love story. I can’t count how many times I found myself
awake at 2 am sobbing over a particularly sad ending (I mean, how could they not end up together??) when I should
have been sleeping. It’s always the same: just
one more page…but that’s never the case. As a reader, both now and in high
school, I could read for hours on end, devouring every last page of a book. If
only there were more hours in a day so I could designate at least three hours a
day to reading for pleasure, as I do love a good novel. Even though I did have
a tendency towards romance, I found enjoyment in a wide variety of young adult (YA)
literature throughout high school, as my reading was centered on fiction and
novels. I wasn’t as captivated by non-fiction yet; I liked having a character I
could relate too, which happens to be a signifying and important characteristic
of YA literature (Gallo, 2010). Other types of literature such as short stories
and poems weren’t quite my cup of tea back then either. Longer books and series
captured my interest more because I was able to delve into a fictitious land
and stay a while. And speaking of being able to stay a while, the Harry Potter
series were my favorite books growing up, and they still are.
Despite
my love for reading, in high school I never seemed to enjoy the books that were
slapped on my desk for the usual novel study or essay. The literature I
remember reading in high school consisted of Animal Farm by George Orwell, Lord
of the Flies by William Golding, Oryx
and Crake by Margaret Attwood, various poetry such as the classic “The Road
Not Taken” by Robert Frost, and, of course, Shakespeare. High school me
considered the majority of the assigned reading to be both dry and unappealing,
not to mention outdated at times. If every book in the class is falling apart
and fraying at the edges, could it be time for a new one? I certainly thought
so.
My
favorite reading practice during high school was silent reading; 30 minutes of
unperturbed reading during school was bliss when it wasn’t a textbook. That’s
how every one of my English classes began during my four years of high school,
and unless we were assigned a book for a certain project it could be nearly
anything we wanted. We were also asked to keep reading journals, and for some
classes this was an everyday occurrence as well. Sometimes teachers gave us
prompts for our journal entries about insights surrounding themes, character
development, or certain scenes in the book. However, for the most part we were
allowed to write about pretty much anything pertaining to whatever we were
reading. I wrote about characters I liked or didn’t like, surprises I
encountered, concepts that weren’t very clear to me, how I felt about the book
thus far, etc. At the end of every week we had to hand our journals in to our
teacher and on Monday they would be handed back with red pen comments in the
margins applauding our insights or nudging us to dig deeper. Although some
students would moan about reading journals, they were a practice I particularly
liked. Especially when compared to other assignments. For example, in grade 12
we had to make a poster displaying the themes of Oryx and Crake, but it’s hard to be sincerely invested in poster
making when you’re 17. I felt more connected to a book after writing about my
experience with it, and I believe it helped me to become a better, more
reflective reader in the long run. Practices like poster-making or having to memorize
and recite Macbeth’s soliloquy in front of the class really didn’t affect me as
a reader. They were just things I did for a good grade.
Overall,
I think the materials and practices that were encouraged in high school helped
me to hone my reading skills, especially reflection. They also gave me a look
at what else was out there in terms of literature. Although I can’t say that my
interest in Shakespeare has grown (not even after a couple university classes),
I became more interested in non-fiction and now I can appreciate the pull of a
charismatic poem. However, what really shaped who I am as a reader today was my
unconditional love for books. Even if I had detested every single story, play,
poem, book report, essay or poster I encountered in high school I would have
still continued my love affair with books on my own time, and I believe that’s
what defines me as a reader.
References
Gallo, D. (2010). Ice cream/I scream for YA books. Voices from the Middle, 17(4), 8-14.
