I spent the majority of the last two weeks pulling out The Hunger Games anytime I got a few extra minutes between classes, before meetings, etc. Many people who saw me do this would comment that they either have read the books and enjoyed them or wanted to read the books to which I would respond “I’m glad I got to read this for class.” Occasionally I will do the same thing with textbooks or articles but when people ask me what I’m reading I say “I have to read this for class.” What causes the difference in mindsets between “I got to” and “I had to”?
For me, and most other people I know, the difference is related to the content. If it is something you wanted to read and it’s assigned for class then you “get” to read it. This was the case for me and The Hunger Games. I heard the books were good and put them on my list of books to read when I have a chance. As is the case for most high school and college students, very little progress is made on this list so I enjoy having a book that I wanted to read assigned. This mindset was not uncommon for me in high school because many of the books we read for class were either about topics that interested me or were classics that I had wanted to read. This did not necessarily mean I enjoyed the books but I “got” to read them.
Many students, myself included, dislike reading articles and textbooks and are upset when they “have” to read them. Books that I “have” to read are generally ones that I do not think will be interesting. I, unlike many students however, still read books that I “have” to read. In high school when more novels are assigned, many students complained that they “had” to read them (and thus many did not read them).
This mindset of “got to” verses “had to” is a major sticking point for many educators. Assigning students with reading means they “have” to do it but allowing students to read books of their choosing and they “get” to read their book. From experience, people like books that they “get” to read and dislike books they “have” to read. By allowing students to read more books that interest them, we may have more students that “get” to read assigned novels than students who “have” to read them.
It's really interesting how just deciphering the difference between the two in your own head can change your motivation. Do you find yourself labeling something as a "have to" and then not really wanting to read it? I do this all the time and it really affects how I read! I have been involved in Language Arts for so long, taking honors english 9-11 grade then AP Lit...it has really shattered my interest in reading that I once had. There were so many "have to's" in high school that I not only didn't have time for "got to's" but if I did, I was tired of reading! I recently had time over the summer to do some pleasure reading and it really sparked my interest again. I have a long list of "got to's" that I can't wait to get to. Luckily, this class had some "got to" books, unlike most of my other classes.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, it is so much easier reading a book that is assigned that you want to read rather then having to read a book you have no interest in. There are so many books I would love to read, but being in school truly limits your time in doing so. So when a book is assigned to me that I want to read it is wonderful.
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