READING LESSON: Relaxing Reading and Serious Reading


TS I think it's important to realize that there are two distinctly different kinds of reading, just as, for example, there are two distinctly different kinds of soccer or field hockey. SD In soccer or field hockey, you can play the games strictly for fun, or you can play them because you want to become the best player you can possibly be. CM You can practice in a playful, relaxed way on the weekends, or you can practice in total earnestness whenever possible. CM You can take the sports lightly, or you can take them seriously. SD The same is true of reading. CM I often love to read purely for fun, but I also love to occasionally tackle a book that forces me to focus my mind and mentally challenge myself. CM In my life, there's room for both reading an easy book on a breezy beach and reading a multifaceted, weighty book while sitting up straight at my desk. SD In English class, we will be doing the second kind of reading -- what I call "serious reading". CM You might ask Why? to which I would answer that it's my responsibility as your English teacher. CM You don't need my help to read a relaxing book, but you might need my help in working through a serious book like Julius Caesar or To Kill a Mockingbird.. CS I sometimes love doing light, effortless reading, just as I sometimes love riding my bike in a laid-back way, but English class is the place for engaging in strenuous reading, like riding up the steepest and longest hills I can find.