Long ago, books were things seen and not heard. With ever-developing technology, the written word has become not only audible, but also easily accessible. But whether audiobooks should be used in schools and whether listening helps with reading comprehension is up for debate.

“I think [audiobooks] could be part of the curriculum as a support,” English teacher Ms. Bailey Jackson said. “For the kids who travel a lot for sports or the kids who live way out of town, listening to the audiobook is way better than not reading at all. But audiobooks should not just straight up replace reading the book.”

Junior Kate Williams thinks audiobooks could support the curriculum, but should not be required.

“They should be available for those who like to use them, but it definitely should be an option and… a choice,” Williams said. “They shouldn’t have to use them. That shouldn’t be the only way that it’s available.”

Audiobooks are a relatively unused thing. Some teachers hadn’t really considered using audiobooks in classes.

“I’m not against audiobooks,” Spanish teacher Mr. Preator said. “I guess I just hadn’t thought about using audiobooks like that before.”

Most people agree that the usefulness of audiobooks depends on the person.

“Yeah, for some people, if they have a hard time reading, it could be helpful,” sophomore Memphis Solberg said. “I read kind of slowly, so like yeah, an audiobook could help me, but some people read really fast, so it can be quicker just to read it.”

While some have trouble listening due to speed, other causes make audiobooks difficult for some students.

“I don’t think that listening to an audiobook would help me comprehend it personally,” Williams said. “Personally, that’s like saying, if you eat an apple, you’re going to become the apple.”

Ms. Jackson, on the other hand, believes that audiobooks can help students comprehend the books and reading if used correctly.

“Audiobooks can help people understand the reading more, and then [there’s] also the accessibility,” Miss Jackson said. “A kid who lives in Clark and has to drive really far every day will have less time to do [required book reading], but on the drive, they could be listening to an audiobook, so it would actually allow them to have the time.”

Audiobooks could be used more in schools, but both teachers and students agree that audiobooks should remain optional.