What once expected to be a calm day of reading in English class, turns into a nightmare for some students. Their hearts race and students anxiously wait to see if they are going to be selected to read out loud for the class. When teachers choose to have a class popcorn read, the educational experience is overshadowed by students’ anxiety to read out loud.
Instead of focusing on the content of the reading, students become occupied with anxious thoughts of whether they will be chosen and how to handle reading if they are.
Even if the student themself are not selected, they still realize how much it can affect others.
“I don’t mind popcorn reading myself, but I know that it bothers a lot of my friends or people with social anxiety,” freshman Leah Thorstenson said.
The situation is still as difficult for those who struggle with reading and those who struggle with social anxiety.
“A lot of [teachers] choose the students that struggle to read out loud, so it just puts their struggle on the spot and emphasizes their embarrassment,” senior Aubrey Balovich said.
While in the same class, students’ reading skills can vary. It is a rising subject in the US where reading skills among high schoolers have significantly declined.
Although popcorn reading can sometimes help a student improve their reading skills, putting a student on the spot in front of the classes when they are still developing those skills only increases their embarrassment.
Moreover, popcorn reading affects those who are skilled in reading just as much.
“I think that popcorn reading not only disheartens people at a faster pace, but it disheartens people who are at lower paces and are unable to keep up with others and feel bad as a result,” junior Ali Lessner said.
In general, while popcorn reading may benefit a few students, it is more ineffective for getting students to read and comprehend.
