Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Read A Book (or Two)!

ByAccountabaloney

Yesterday I read this in The Atlantic: Why Reading Books in High School Matters. The article/podcast examines the decline of high school novel reading and its implications. Namely, students are reading excerpts instead of whole novels (mimicing the standardized tests they are required to pass), leaving students less prepared for complex reading in college and resulting in college professors assigning fewer books in their courses. The article includes personal stories highlighting the transformative power of books read during adolescence. For a deeper dive, visit the full podcast here.

In Florida, where public schools (but not voucher schools) are “held accountable” for student scores on high-stakes standardized tests, pacing guides and scripted curriculums have elementary and middle school students only reading excerpts as well. When I am asked about the recent kerfuffle over so-called “inappropriate” books in school libraries, I always respond the same – “I am less concerned about the books they might read than I am that they aren’t reading any books at all.”

I have been warning about this and fighting against the unintended (?) consequences of Florida’s test-obsessed accountability system for more than a decade. The Atlantic article makes me want to shout “I Told You So” from the rooftops and, believe me, I will be writing about that AFTER the holidays. Today, I want to focus on the upcoming holidays.

I have two kids in expensive out of state colleges so we are having a “small Christmas” this year. Gifts will be mostly books, with a few gift cards (some to book stores) thrown in. I am looking forward to a truly wonderful little Christmas.

Of course, we have always included books in our gift giving and Christmas traditions. Each year, when we decorated our tree after Thanksgiving, we would bring out our collection of holiday books and keep them under the tree, so we could read them over and over again in preparation for Christmas. Each year, we would add a book, or two, to the collection. It is one of our best holiday traditions.

A few of our favorite Holiday Books:

and, of course:

May your holidays be full of books and simple pleasures. May you read excellent books in the New Year.

“And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if quality education, he thought, can’t be measured by test scores. What if quality education for our kids, perhaps, means a little bit more.” (With all apologies to the great Dr. Seuss.)

Similar Posts

28 Comments

  17. Um maximalen Spielgenuss zu erleben, wäre die Registrierung bei mehreren Anbietern besonders hilfreich, oder doch nicht? Wusstest du, dass du im Online Casino mit https://engagefortheplanet.comparative.space/forum/topic/slots-mit-klarna-bezahlen-was-in-deutschland-moglich-ist/ nicht nur einen Bonus, sondern viele Angebote kassieren kannst? Wir finden diese Regelung gut, denn sie hilft dir bei der besseren Kontrolle deines Spielverhaltens. Du hast Lust, im Online Casino mit Sofortüberweisung Einzahlungen vorzunehmen und willst dir dicke Bonusangebote sichern?

  18. Pay ID is not the only way to fund an account at casinos with PayID, but in 2026 it is often the most practical choice for Australian players across both payid pokies real money sessions and table game play. Operators that force you into non-AUD units are poorly aligned with the practical realities of Australian Pay ID intent and do not belong in a credible ranking of payid pokies Australia or payid online casinos in 2026. Pay ID is the focus across all casinos with PayID in this guide, but it is not the only factor that determines banking quality. For players comparing payid withdrawal casino options, this distinction is the single most useful data point in 2026.

    References: https://forum.roguepenguingames.com/public/d/82-online-pokies-payid-deposit-instant-funding-guide-for-aussie-pokies-players

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *