Optional Summer Reading. Whenever students see “optional” in front of anything school related, they just forget about it within a week.

This applies even more so if it is assigned over the summer. What student has time to do a whole English project over summer when they barely have time to relax? With sports, vacations, and trying to maintain a social life, it’s hard to fit in a project that won’t even benefit a future English grade.

The PTSA had assigned the optional summer reading for the 2016 summer, with the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens” by Sean Covey as its subject. The PTSA offered the option of three different assignments to go along with reading the book. A student could do any of the three options, any number of times, with each submission giving another chance to win a prize.

However, the book, chosen by the English department, didn’t appeal to many students. “I read some of the book but I wasn’t really interested in it,” Kelsey Knight (’20) said.

While others, like Tori White (’18), just didn’t find time to get around to it. “Most of the time I was out of town or playing sports so I kind of forgot to do it,” White said.

This lack of student interest and lack of time showed in the amount of participants. As of Sept. 13, the PTSA had only received 15 submissions, according to the PTSA President, Michelle Turnbaugh.

I think that if the students could choose their own book to do the assignment on, participation would be higher because of the motivation to complete the project.

For more information on the Hereford PTSA, visit https://ptoffice.mjssoftware.com/mywebsite/Hereford_High_School_MD/Home, and for more information on “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens,” visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_7_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_Teens.