Taking a dive into the BSM English department, a new change has been implemented at the beginning of the school year. English teachers have been highly recommending that students buy their own books for the purpose of students being able to write and annotate their books.
Buying your own books allows students to be able to write inside the books to capture important thoughts, questions, or quotes that come up while reading. Annotations give students a more purposeful reading experience and take school texts to the next level. “[This adjustment] is for retention and comprehension and just being prepared and all that other stuff,” senior high English teacher, Anne Marie Dominguez, said.
COVID-19 greatly impacted many aspects of student life at BSM, including the way teachers organize lessons. Since germs were such a huge worry during COVID-19, it was hard for students to get access to books. Many students need to rebuild their reading comprehension skills and being able to annotate books can help. “We want to encourage more reading, or at least more purposeful reading among students with the texts that are assigned in class because we’ve seen a drop in the reading level over COVID,” Dominguez said.
We want to encourage more reading, or at least more purposeful reading among students with the texts that are assigned in class because we’ve seen a drop in the reading level over COVID.
— Anne Marie Dominguez
Looking at how students are feeling about this change, it can be seen that there are many different opinions on this topic. Most students feel that this new recommendation wasn’t necessary, they preferred when the school provided books for students. “It’s very convenient when the school provides books, especially for the kids that don’t have access to books like some people do,” sophomore Eleanor Porisch said.
Is there any stress that comes along with this new change? Having to order your own books and make sure they are delivered on time can be a challenge. Sometimes there are delays to orders that can prevent studnets from finishing assigned readings on time. “It’s just easier when you don’t have to buy the books yourself and worry about shipping and stuff like that,” freshmen Stella Blackwood said.
English teachers are hopeful that students will adapt to this change smoothly. However, teachers understand that not all students will be thrilled to carry around their own annotated books and that many would even prefer to resort back to SparkNotes. They know this change can be difficult for students to adapt completely. “You’re not gonna have 100% yay. Many people just have to get used to it,” Dominguez said.