By Lucy Levinson
Summer break allows the opportunity for students to experience books in a way that contrasts the academic structure they are accustomed to in the classroom.
The summer reading program at RPCS has shifted over recent years to give students more agency in their book choice.
A few years ago, the Upper and Middle Schools forwent the all-school read structure, where students across the respective divisions read the same book, and opted to let students choose their summer reading book from extensive lists that Ms. Fox, the Director of Libraries, assembles.
Ms. Fox said that she struggles with the notion that one book could make every student happy; so, when putting together the lists of books, Ms. Fox said, “I try to pick lots of different genres, stories, and formats with a diverse range of authors and characters: I want something for every student.”
This adjustment was made after students expressed a desire to have more choice in summer reading, and the survey response after the fact was overwhelmingly positive.
Senior Kennedy Richardson said, “I like having the list to choose from because everyone has preferences when it comes to reading, so I think it allows for the summer reading process to be more enjoyable for a bigger group of people if there is choice given to the students.”
However, Kennedy also fondly remembers the conversation about a past all-school read, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, with students from other grades as a nice way to enter the school year. Still, she prefers to have a list of books to choose from, despite the loss of some of this community building.
The discussions about all-school reads in the past have been replaced by students sharing the creative project they completed for the book they read in advisories. This project is extremely open-ended, further adhering to the principle of choice.
In addition to a book chosen from this list, most English classes also have summer reading that students often work with in the beginning of the school year.
Ms. Fitzpatrick, who teaches English to 6th and 12th grade students, is trying to incorporate more choice into her summer reading assignments as well. She said that while selecting one book for the whole class to read is practical for some classes, like the AP course, the longer that she has taught and researched summer reading, the more she feels it is “the perfect opportunity to give a lot of options to students so they’re able to engage with the text that they’re interested in, that is going to get them excited about reading, and that might also infuse voices into the curriculum that they are interested in learning more about.”
Ideally, students would regard summer reading in a positive light. However, the assignment to read over the warmer months has not always been a source of great excitement. Despite many initially viewing it as a chore–something to interrupt the perhaps euphoric lack of academic responsibility–it is a commonplace for students to derive pleasure from their respective books.
The goal that students find joy or satisfaction in what they read is paramount for many: Ms. Fitzpatrick said, “Books have done so much for me in my life, they’ve taught me so many things…so as much as I can create space for students to read something they love and see the joy and value in books, that's all I hope for!”
Kennedy Richardson revealed that one of her favorite books of 2021 was The Vanishing Half by Brie Larson, a summer reading assignment for AP English. However, she also shared that she historically procrastinated doing the summer reading, perhaps partially due to the lack of immediate incentive: “When it comes to summer reading, there is more responsibility on the student to get it done because there’s no class discussion. In English class, I read the book because I know that we are going to have a discussion and I want to participate and engage in the conversation. I think over the summer it’s a lot harder to hold yourself responsible because there is no one there pushing you to read the book, but I also feel like that is something that is important to be able to do as you get older: to hold yourself responsible for the things that need to get done.”
To the students that truly struggle with this self-moderated reading, Ms. Fox suggests that you “Find a format that makes it feel easier… whether it's through audio books or a graphic novel or in verse.” Plus, one can seldom predict which text will spark some newfound curiosity or establish a home within the reader’s mind for years to come.
This media age boasts endless entertainment at our fingertips; there are funny and creative people delivering content for free every single day. So, it is easy to imagine how media in which entertainment and joy must be actively sought might seem like a burden. However, it is assured that while TikTok will, time and time, deliver instant gratification—the type of gradual serenity or satisfaction that good books often provide is worth the work.
So this summer, whether you tend to swoon over the sunshine or cherish modern air conditioning, try your best to unwind and enjoy the summer reading!
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