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Why are Students Not Reading?
Every year of school we take an English class, and ever year we read at least one or two books in that class. But those books never seem to captivate us the way our independent reading or streaming shows might. So why do we get so bored reading books for school? Are we just lazy, or are they uninteresting?
Throughout high school students read an immense amount and variety of books: Lord of the Flies, Antigone, Animal Farm, The Great Gatsby, The Heart of Darkness, etc. All of these books are meant to give us a kind of insight into the world we live in or instruct us on the usage of literary techniques and writing. But so often teachers find themselves staring at a classroom of kids who haven’t read a chapter of the book they are meant to be half done with.
A Professor Hoeft in 2012 reported that only 54% of their first-year undergraduate students would complete an assigned reading before the class it was due. Hoeft then decided to experiment on how to get their students to complete the readings on a greater scale. He implemented two strategies for this: Graded quizzes or supplemental comprehension assignments. When Hoeft used quizzes he saw an increase of about 20% of his student now reading, but when he instituted journaling it jumped up even further to 95% of the students completing the reading. But these strategies aren’t making students engaged with what they are reading, it actually makes them resent it more.
Students at Avonworth have enjoyed the books they read for class few times, but they often recall the book generally being a good read. Many current Juniors recall reading Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar in their Sophomore Honors English Class. Many, though, did not actually read the play, as they felt too busy or unmotivated to pick it up. But those that had read it often said the only reason they did was for the assignments based on the reading, even if they felt it was an important piece of literature. Students simply don’t feel like reading because they are being told what to read or when to read it. So do we need to change the rules around reading, or we do need to change the books?
Another study based on four eighth grade classrooms across four years changed reading so that it was a self-selected and self-paced activity. Students were specifically asked to pick books that related to them. As students were given more freedom to choose, they saw an increase in class participation, positive pear relationships, and state testing scores.
So what could be a solution to our dilemma at Avonworth? Well, you can’t just let kids read whatever they want whenever they want all the time, it wouldn’t work. But, we could find ways to make what we read more engaging. For example, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a play that has been filmed over and over again and is easily available on streaming platforms like YouTube. Possibly, rather than just reading the play and speculating on how it might be performed, when a student in assigned to read a number of scenes they will also watch those scenes be acted out. Then a student can see how professionals interpret that text into a performance, all throughout the student can feel more engaged and get deeper insight of the text. This same concept could also be applied to 11th grade readings like The Great Gatsby and Into the Wild which both have movie adaptations.
The world is changing, and our source of entertainment is no longer books like it may have been twenty years ago. This doesn’t mean books aren’t still important parts of learning, but it may mean that students need a different source of motivation than their parents did.
What APs Should You Take? Are the Tests Worth it?
AP, or Advanced Placement, is a kind of class most high school students know well. We know it for the cramming of information in AP Chemistry, or the hours of homework in AP US History(APUSH), or the extremely confusing AP Calculus, and even AP Language has you ending the year with easily writing over 20 essays. But what each and every AP course(at least at Avonworth) has in common is the three hour and fifteen minute testCan within those first two weeks of May.
As a current Junior, I have taken and almost finished four different AP classes, but I only took two of those AP tests; So what AP classes should one take, and why or why not should they take the tests?
For those interested in science, especially those who plan to go into the science field, an AP science is 100% what you want to take. Taking a class like AP Chemistry, AP Biology, or AP Physics is similar to dipping your toes into the ocean, it is freezing and yet you know it gets way colder and way deeper. If you want to feel prepared for a college-level science course, then you definitely need to take at least one AP science class while in high school, if not you are in a world of pain that Freshman year of college.
Now if you’re like me, not interested in science at all, an AP science very well could still be a good choice. Most colleges do require students to fulfill at least one class of science while in attendance, but if you get a 4-5 or even sometimes 3 on that AP science test, you can be free from college science all together.
Now I took APUSH as my AP history class, and it is definitely for those who are very good at being diligent in their work. APUSH comes with about an average of five hours of homework each week, multiple kinds of essays, tests, and creative review games by our lovely Mr. Mancini. While the content itself may not be as complicated as chemical reactions or trigonometric substitution integrals, you will definitely find yourself wondering when exactly was Eisenhower president and why is the Republican Motherhood so important. For the history buffs, it’s a wonderful class, and for anyone that hates homework, DO NOT TAKE IT.
Avonworth only offers three different AP math classes: AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB, and AP Calculus BC. In my personal experience I have taken AP Calculus AB and CHS(or Pitt) Stats. Now, I often get the question as to which class is better, AP or CHS for Stats, and my answer has slowly evolved into, “Whatever fits in your schedule”. The classes are almost completely identical, so for those who are only there to learn: It doesn’t matter. For those who don’t like or aren’t good at taking a standardized test: CHS Stats. And, for those who want to ensure every college will accept their credits: AP Stats.
AP math in general though has a similar usage to me as an AP science, for those who go into the field it is a crucial class to take in high school. And even for those who don’t care much about it, it can be a great way out of taking math in college. I will also include a small plug here that our AP math teachers do a wonderful job in teaching the topics and preparing kids for both the AP tests and the possible next levels in college(Go Mr. Johncour and Mr. Cario!).
Lastly, your AP Englishes; AP Language or Literature are the only AP English courses Avonworth offers, and they are a bit unique compared to other topics. Unlike most other concepts, if you’re going to be an art teacher, you probably don’t need to know calculus or semi-advanced chemistry, but everyone needs to know how to write well. There is not a single person in Avonworth that I would think doesn’t need to take a class like AP Language, the skills and practice it gives you are important for every single walk of life. AP Literature on the other hand(this I have not taken), can be a little more in the eyes of the beholder. For those who love to read, this is an amazing class and there are so many good books you will get to read. For those who feel a bit more apprehensive about reading, I still would recommend taking the class and finding something to love in those books, as that is just as valuable.
But the supposedly most important part of any of these classes is that $104 test in May. So why should or shouldn’t you take it? Well you shouldn’t take it to get out of a final(That doesn’t work in Calculus). You also shouldn’t take it just because you took the class. It really all comes down to one thing: Do you want college credit for that class? Now it might seem obvious, of course someone wants college credit for a class they labored all year over, but sometimes you don’t.
I personally plan to have a Social Studies focused major in college, I don’t want to miss that US history class, because a college level course will be even more valuable to me than APUSH. And for AP Lang, many of the schools I plan to apply to don’t accept any score on the AP Lang test for credit. I looked at my options and plans and decided that those tests simply were not worth the effort, stress, or cost.
Ultimately, taking an AP class is difficult, none of them are easy(Even if people tell you they are). But they are also some of the most rewarding courses you take in high school, and can prepare you for college better than many other things. So as you make your schedule for next year my Sophomores and Juniors, think about taking an AP class or two if it fits your style.
Why do students feel unmotivated after AP Testing?
We have reached the last few weeks of the school year, every person in the building is counting down the days left. Even as I write this I know that there are exactly six days, one final, two projects, and an article left to write before the year is over. But I, amongst many of students, have felt a complete lack of motivation to complete any of these tasks. So are we just sick of being here? Why do we suddenly feel unwilling to complete any sort of assignment.
For AP kids, it’s a pretty simple answer: The tests are over. AP students spend eight months preparing for either one, or two, or three, and sometime even four AP tests at the end of the year. In addition to all the class time and learning, the weeks leading up to those tests are filled with studying and stressing. Once they are over, those kids want to do absolutely nothing except enjoy that small respite in their Junior or Senior years before their time is up.
But AP kids are far from the only people affected by this sudden ‘Senior-itis’ that hits every grade and student at this time of year. The prospect of being done with school fills kids minds once May begins.
This could be a large factor in why students absences suddenly spike, or they do seemingly worse on the final compared to the rest of the year. In earnest, all while I write this article my head is fixated on that first Monday when I’m not sighing in bed before opening my eyes.
So can teachers or the school even do anything? Probably not. It seems that if this sort of mentality impacts each and every student, and there is no special reason that such a phenomenon consistently occurs. So we all will just need to trudge along till that summer eventually being. Until then though, our minds will be completely and utterly focused on June 1st, when we can sleep in, lay around all day, and eat watermelon.
This doesn’t need too long of an explanation, the simple answer is the length of the test and lack of sleep
wow i completely agree! we should do something about it!