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Story was wrong; schools care a lot about reading

Story was wrong; schools care a lot about reading

Date published: 9/25/2003

I found myself shaking my head a lot as I read a recent article ["Required Reading," Sept. 14]. Mostly, it just amazes me that educators find themselves in the position of having to justify and explain why students are asked to read.

Aside from that, the article was just plain poorly organized and made it sound as if area schools choose only books that promote approved, sanitized and trite themes such as "love conquers all."

The article also made it sound as if principals are uneducated or unaware of the books being read in their schools, and as if parents are too ignorant to understand what their children are reading. Further, the article insinuated that any book with a controversial ("prejudice") vein is rejected for study.

I am happy to say that none of these scenarios is the case. While the reporter may have chosen quotes that paint the picture above, I don't want community members thinking that schools here are offering only literary pablum to students.

I do not want this community believing that teachers are interested only in passing along smarmy themes, or that administrators are unaware of reading materials.

The truth, at least in Stafford County, is that there is a thoughtful process for choosing books. Committees balance the sensitivities of the community, the needs of the learners, the age and ability-appropriateness of each title, and the extent to which books support the state learning standards.

Teachers focus on helping students grasp the more profound themes of reading material, as well as genre, characterization, style, tone and literary history, to aid them in becoming lifelong readers with sophisticated cultural awareness.

Further, I have found that both administrators and parents are concerned and interested in what students are reading; they are far from the removed and incapable bystanders that article would have us believe.

Lisa Renard

Stafford

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Date published: 9/25/2003