“Reading makes a full man.” These inspiring words from Francis Bacon have been intriguing people for centuries. Short as this sentence is, it reveals the great significance of being well-read. Here comes the question about what kind of materials is worth reading and which source is better. From my perspective, the reading materials chosen by students themselves are more important than or at least as important as reading assigned by teachers.
Compared with assignments from teachers, what students choose is more likely to win their own favor. That is partly because students are inclined to feel being chained or restrained by teachers if being forced to read a book, whether it is a reference book which can boost their academic performance or a fiction that consists of exciting plots. In contrast, allowing them to pick a book to read, a sense of freedom and autonomy will be bestowed on them, with the result that students will start reading and stick to reading more spontaneously. Such learning initiative would not occur as long as teachers are involved. For example, with the good intention to help develop students’ reading habits during summer vacation, my nephew’s teacher offered him one book list about some classic novels including After Twenty Years by O. Henry, and the Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Unfortunately, he never bought those books, not to mention reading once. I asked him why and his answer was “How silly it is to do whatever adults recommend!” The trait of disobedience is pervasive among young students, thus undermining the value of teachers’ reading tasks.
It is true that students’ own choice may fail to contain such abundant knowledge and positive thoughts as book lists from teachers do, this drawback can be compensated for by another advantage. The logic is simple. As is known to all, teachers, mostly, will only recommend learning materials relevant with academia to students. Instead, if students step into a bookstore or a library, chances are that they will choose books of all types including magazines and comics. Which is more suitable for relaxation or sharing with friends? I bet students’ selections can win because those books have nothing to do with academic burden. For example, reading a fashion magazine with friends is easier than sharing a dictionary; a collection of grammar books can never compete against a science fiction. Everyone likes to take a relief after some nerve-racking hours. As long as students’ pick can achieve this goal, it plays an important role in students' life.
In conclusion, even though teachers’ recommendation of books is valuable, books selected by students themselves are not eclipsed by reading assigned by teachers.
