At first glance, this particular post may not seem to fit in with the what I normally write, but give me a minute. I’ll get there. I promise.
I’ve been pretty distracted by the final season of Game of Thrones on HBO recently. It feels like it has completely taken over my brain, and I’m finding it hard to focus on anything else. Ask me about the latest episode, and you’re bound to get me off track from whatever I was trying to do or talk about. Last night, my husband and I even had to pause another show we were watching because we got involved in a Game of Thrones discussion instead.
I was thinking about it (as I have been constantly lately), and I realized that Game of Thrones is probably the reason why I decided to major in English in college. More specifically, the book series A Song of Ice and Fire is really responsible. I have always loved reading and writing, but before I read A Game of Thrones, I was actually mostly interested in science. I thought I might be a physicist, and I had dreams of working for NASA.
And then, a friend of mine gave me the first book of the series for Christmas one year. I was in 9th grade, and he was in 8th. Looking back, we were too young to be reading those books, but all our parents saw was us reading, and what parent is going to take a book away from their kids? My mother reacted kind of badly after I let her read the book, but I made sure not to give it to her until I had finished all three of the ones that were out at that time. There was little she could do at that point. (I was such a nerdy, sheltered teenager that reading questionable books may have been my only form of rebellion.)
After I read the books, I found the website Westeros.org, and a whole bunch of other websites that I think may have been called A Ring of Ice and Fire back then. I started reading different theories and character analyses. I reread the books with a new lens, looking for evidence to support or contradict those theories. I started working on theories of my own. The friend that gave me the first book and I would hop on AIM to discuss our theories. I lent the books to other friends, and then I would talk about them with my friends at lunch or after school.
And thus, a love of reading, analyzing, writing about, and discussing literature was born. All on my own, without prompting by any teacher, I was making claims and predictions and using text evidence to support them, and I loved it. I realize how nerdy that might sound for a fifteen year old, but I just have to own that. It’s who I am.
Through my own free, unrestricted reading and writing, I found my passion. I no longer wanted to be a physicist (although I still find space fascinating). I knew that whatever I did, I would either major or minor in English.
For me, this all happened on my own time. I think I was lucky that I found my passion on my own. For many of our students, that isn’t the case. They don’t know what they care about or what they’re interested in. And this is yet another reason why I think pretty much limitless independent reading should be in every high school English class (ah, there it is-I told you I’d get there).
If students can choose to read anything, they can find something they love. Students can find something to be passionate about through literature or nonfiction, and that can come from a grimdark fantasy series, a young adult novel, a graphic novel, a self help book, or I would argue, even through children’s literature.
These are some of the books my students have been reading this year:
- Tons of YA literature
- The My Hero Academia series
- An AP US History study book (not assigned by the teacher)
- A self help audio book
- A Calvin and Hobbes anthology
- The Walking Dead graphic novel
- A dream analysis guide
- A nonfiction book about narcissism and personality disorders
- A guide to freshwater fishing
- An offroading trail guide
- Biographies of favorite athletes
If I did not give students the time and the space to do independent reading of books of their choice during class, how many of them would read those books? I think the number would be pretty small. I don’t have any evidence (yet) that all of this varied, interest-driven reading is helping kids find their passions, but I suspect that it might be. Or at least, it could be. They have the time and the space to pursue something that they are interested in, and I know from my own experience that reading books that you love can spark your passion in unexpected ways, and the long term impact is not always predictable.
I suppose it makes sense that I’m obsessively thinking about Game of Thrones lately. It’s something I’ve cared deeply about for 17 years, and in one way at least, it’s coming to an end. I think I’ll allow myself the distraction for a few more weeks