Short Writing Assignment #1

Many college professors are concerned with students’ lack of interest in literature. Although several high school graduates manage to receive their diplomas with more than a 3.5 GPA, some speculate that these students did not read much in high school, or that they have given up reading as they progressed to college.
Journalism professor Michael Skube notes that although students are able to identify well known authors, it is obvious when these students do not read for class or for leisure. When engaged in conversation or writing a paper, the students’ vocabulary falls short of college level, and sometimes even high school level. The students that are enrolled in college courses are the same students that cannot form a complete sentence, a concept taught in grade school. Because of this dilemma, many people question whether a high school diploma is worth what it is made out to be. Skube also speculates that while some students have GPAs well above 3.5, the students with high standardized test scores are those that are familiar with the English language and more likely to excel in a university.
In my classroom experience, much of what Skube stated is true. In my high school, the students in honors classes were very competitive, and most had high standardized test scores. However, because many students not taking the honors courses took the ‘easy’ way out by enrolling in the generic classes, their GPAs were sky-rocketed, and these pupils had GPAs comparable to those of students in Advanced Placement classes. The students in the honors classes were required to read many novels and passages throughout the school year, and this was reflected in our standardized test scores. Contrary to Skube’s assertions, however, many colleges to which I applied seemed to base a student’s acceptance on standardized test scores than high school GPAs.
Todd Hagstette’s “aggressive” reading may be of some help to those students described in Skube’s article; however, it may not be of any help at all. If these students read on a regular basis, but read for enjoyment rather than comprehension, learning to read aggressively could improve their vocabulary and conversation. On the contrary, if the students do not read at all, aggressive reading would not help them at all, unless they begin reading, and in the so-called “uncomfortable” manner.
According to Michael Skube, many students do not read, and it shows in their standardized test scores, as opposed to their excellent GPAs. This statement is proven in many schools, including the rankings in the high school from which I graduated. These students may benefit from aggressive reading, however, if they do not read in the first place, changing their reading strategies would not help them.