Should high school students have to read Harry Potter?

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Mortis

We should start a poll of the people who have been forced by the overlord that is the school system to read "Lord of the Flies".

We could have the following choices:

1 I loved Lord of the Flies, I'm just glad I wasn't piggy

2 It was Ok, I've read better

3 Are you kidding? Hated it!

4 Wish William Golding had never learned to read

5 Harry Potter should have been in our schools curriculum instead and LOTF gave me nightmares!

HP wasn't even a glint in his author's eye when I were at skool.

[chrisarippel]

I vote no.

It is hard to name another set of books youth like to read as much.
Harry Potter, more than any other I know,
has kept youth, especially boys, reading for fun into the age where boys often stop reading.
So teachers should not spoil Harry Potter by forcing students to read it.

[AprilHare]

Originally Posted by chrisarippel

I vote no.

It is hard to name another set of books youth like to read as much.
Harry Potter, more than any other I know,
has kept youth, especially boys, reading for fun into the age where boys often stop reading.
So teachers should not spoil Harry Potter by forcing students to read it.

You believe setting books to read spoils them for children, the same way, say, taking kids on school trips to places spoils the places for children?
Actually I found the best experience of books only occurred when it wasn't on the compulsory reading list, e.g. in my case Pride and Prejudice.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by AprilHare

You believe setting books to read spoils them for children, the same way, say, taking kids on school trips to places spoils the places for children?
Actually I found the best experience of books only occurred when it wasn't on the compulsory reading list, e.g. in my case Pride and Prejudice.

I agree that assigning books can spoil it for some children, but I've never heard of a field trip spoiling the location for a child.

I avoided my classroom reading lists like the plague. Not because I wasn't interested in the books, but because I knew the teachers would teach them to death (and I never made lower than a "B" on the follow up exams), therefore negating my need to actually read the books. I spent the time reading other books, for fun, instead. I believe, The Fountainhead and Little Women were the only two classroom books I actually read at the time they were assigned.

[AprilHare]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

I agree that assigning books can spoil it for some children, but I've never heard of a field trip spoiling the location for a child.

I'm afraid it can get like that for children. They get dragged along to some goldrush re-enactment town or whatever, and are distracted by: a) they're not at school so they can run around and play up; b) their friends; c) how 'boring' it is (mainly because it is foisted onto them rather than requested by them); d) often lackluster or condescending tour guides, teachers that treat it like a virtual day off from teaching, etc.

Originally Posted by Nyssa

I avoided my classroom reading lists like the plague. Not because I wasn't interested in the books, but because I knew the teachers would teach them to death (and I never made lower than a "B" on the follow up exams), therefore negating my need to actually read the books. I spent the time reading other books, for fun, instead. I believe, The Fountainhead and Little Women were the only two classroom books I actually read at the time they were assigned.

Yes, it can get like that too.
Also, the reading environment at home can be poor for some students. It depends on parents and the example they set in terms of reading.