Post 25: Know the Battles You Can Win, and the Ones You Can't!

I have spent far too much time and energy in the past, fighting battles I can't possibly win.  I realise that I have been ranting about a certain department at my school and their attitude towards recreational reading, when there was really little I can do through a direct, confrontational approach. When all is said and done, I suppose that I haven't been confrontational but I can be very direct.  That doesn't necessarily endear you to people, does it!  I've also expended far too much emotional energy on this.  Yesterday at the department meeting, I had already come to the realisation that I had to just sit back and not say what I really thought about the summer reading lists, and that is what I did.

So, now I have come to the conclusion that I have two choices:

1. To try and find a way to demonstrate that students who rarely read, need books which will excite them if they are going to take time over the summer to read.

2. Give up till next year and leave the kids to the mercy of the summer reading lists as they are.

The second option is the easiest and would be the least frustrating for me.  Or would it?  It is very difficult for someone who loves to read and whose job is to encourage people to read, to sit by and do nothing.  I see disaster ahead but at the same time, I don't actually think anyone will notice.  The students will come back to school in August, do whatever they have to do based on their book (whether they read it or not), their work will be acknowledged in some way by the teachers and then all will be forgotten till this time next year.

Alas!