Only once was I given the option of what book to read in a classroom setting. My sophomore English teacher, already a lovable and popular teacher, offered our class the choice between two Shakespeare plays, Othello and Twelfth Night. We chose Othello and in general, I did enjoy reading Othello. I can't say whether or not I would've enjoyed Twelfth Night more and if our choice was a good one, since I still haven't read the latter, but the fact that we were given a sense of agency in our learning always stuck with me.
Giving students agency in their education can lead to an enjoyment of texts. Vladimir Nabokov talks about three facets of being a great writer (and a great reader): magic, story, and lesson. These facets as agents can be enchanter, storyteller, and teacher. As teachers, we tend to stay in the lesson sphere. What is this text really trying to tell us? What can we take away from this text? Why the hell am I teaching or reading this piece?
I think once students have a chance to choose their own books and are even given time in class to read independently, they will be able to enjoy a book for its magic and story. I believe once they can enjoy these two, the lesson will follow. I envy my future students; I want to give them time in class once a week to read what my UTeach professor calls a "dessert book," something enjoyable to the student that they can pick out on their own.
An issue students raised in a survey in Encouraging Independent Reading with Ambience was the lack of time and motivation to read independently at home. I don't think that allowing students to choose what book they want to read will solve this completely; sometimes the time just doesn't exist. By giving them time in class at least once a week (or even daily and incorporating their books into a warm-up journal) to read independently with no pressure and in a relaxed setting (allow them to eat a snack, put on some quiet music), I think we as teachers can further encourage the enjoyment of books.
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