If you have not asked your child's teacher this question, you might be missing one of the simplest -- and most telling -- tests of a school's priorities.
Years ago, the legendary rock band Van Halen embedded a strange clause in their tour contracts: there had to be a bowl of M&Ms in the dressing room with every single brown candy removed. While it may have seemed like one of those rock star eccentricities, it wasn't. Their shows involved elaborate, potentially dangerous stage setups, and the M&Ms were a test. If the venue got that little detail wrong, it probably meant they hadn't paid attention to bigger, more critical safety requirements.
Asking your child's teacher, "What's the best book my child will read this year?" works the same way. The answer won't tell you everything, but it will reveal a lot about the school's approach to education.
As the new school year begins, parents will be bombarded with schedules, handbooks and those oh so important pick-up line instructions. Teachers will share about field trips, class projects and the many wonderful things students will learn. If you don't haven't already asked, this is also a wonderful time for this litmus test.
If the teacher answers with something specific -- "We're reading 'Charlotte's Web'" or "We'll be diving into 'Lord of the Flies'" -- you know they've thought about it. But if the answer is a vague platitude like, "The best book is whatever your child enjoys," that's a warning sign. Loving reading is good. But love without direction is like archery without a target. You can pull back the string with perfect skill and still miss the point entirely.
True education does more than teach a skill; it develops taste. A student who leaves school loving only comic books, simple young adult series, or steamy romance novels may have the mechanics of reading down, but will lack the capacity to engage deeply with great works that challenge the mind and stir the soul.
Education, properly understood, is about more than job preparation or skill acquisition. It is about forming the human person -- teaching students to discern what is good, true, and beautiful. That's why book selection is not incidental; it is integral to a school's mission.
The M&Ms in Van Halen's dressing room didn't guarantee the stage was safe, but they signaled whether the people in charge were paying attention to the details that mattered. Likewise, the "best book" question doesn't tell you everything about a school, but it can show you whether they've thought seriously about the kind of minds they are shaping.
So when you head to back-to-school night, don't just smile politely at the slideshow or jot down the field trip dates. Ask the question. Listen to the answer. And if the answer makes you uneasy, it might be time to do some double-checking -- before the year gets too far along.