Today’s post is from guest author and CPLS Librarian Rachel Duncan.

National Reading Day was celebrated on January 23, 2018. If you survey the Cair Paravel Latin School literature lists, you’ll find that CPLS, more often than not, aligns with the “older” literature standards.  Often, educators are primarily concerned that children are reading.  Classical, Christian schools like CPLS, however, think that WHAT a child reads is as important as THAT a child reads. 

Here is a line from the CPLS statement on literature:

            “One of our jobs as educators and parents is to see that our children acquire not only the ability to read well, but also acquire a taste for what is good and beautiful in literature.”

            We do not read certain books simply because they are “old” but rather because they have “stood the test of time.”  That is, through years of reading and rereading, both experts and non-experts alike testify to their high degree of excellence.

   Should we be surprised that reading ability declines as we lower the expectations for our young readers?  We must put before our children texts that are “above their heads.”  For if not, they will never grow.

   Part of the mission of CPLS is to “cultivate…lifelong learners.”  For this reason, CPLS has adopted a robust literature program.  The ability to read, analyze, and even enjoy a difficult text is central to all learning.  Creating some balance between exposing students to the classics and more recent literature should be a goal. It’s a pleasure to help with that balance as the CPLS Librarian. Happy reading!