Teacher Banning 8 y.o. DS from bringing Bunny vs Monkey books to school for his friends to read

She’s discouraging an 8 year old kid taking it on himself to bring in some random books from home and distributing them to his class mates…..in class time…..for said class mates to read…..in class time …..who in their right mind can think that the teacher is out of order for saying no 🙄

Having kids bringing their own things into the classroom is a massive hassle for the teacher. If they allow it for your child they have to allow it for everyone. What happens when it goes missing? Gets damaged? Kids are arguing over it? Before you know it they've lost precious classroom time when there just isn't enough time in the day for everything anyway. You need to back the teacher and let your child enjoy his own books at home.

Every child has little extras they would enjoy but teachers simply can't accommodate all of them. They try their best. Work with them and not against them.

Term 1, Day 1 year 4. Utter chaos and one of the kids breaks out a pretty distracting comic style book for lendies.

I simply cannot stand imagine why the teacher wasn't absolutely thrilled to bits.

What should you do? Nothing. Let the dust settle and the uniforms go through at least two washes then ask if the Teacher might let the books once the kids are on an even keel.

Did your son bring in enough for the whole class to read?
Is the book included in the curriculum content the teacher needs to cover weekly to ensure the class hit their targets?
Does the fact your son owns/hands out the books change the dynamic of the group?
Are there any children in the class these books are inappropriate for?
Are you sure the whole class will love these books?
Has the teacher spend hours planning more appropriate activities in her English lessons?
This teacher doesn't need educating. It's not a free for all. Let her do her job and wind your neck in.

If the teacher is discouraging popular reading material I think parents are well within their rights to ask why.

Not if it's banning books designed to help kids who are struggling.

You may as well kick the SEN kids in the head with an attitude like that.

And that's why I'd raise it. Because it's effectively discriminating against them.

By all means ban books from being taken into school but then ban ALL books. Not just the ones you don't like.

Or have a bloody good explanation about why those books are not ok - and being snotty about the content isn't an acceptable one.

Normally I would agree with you but this is about educational value and it's being demonstrated that these books are helping certain boys significantly.

And this is why teachers are leaving in droves🙄
fuck me….can you imagine having to put up with shit like this from parents

HER CLASS……HER RULES

The teacher needs educating about how value this is, instead of being snotty and judgmental and overly snobbish.

I agree with this. Teachers like this need to do more to engage with an 8 year old boy mindset. Their own personal preferences are much less relevant.

I’d speak to the teacher and find out why she made the decision. If it was to avoid books being lost or defaced, that’s one thing, but if it’s just that she doesn’t like the books, or the idea of your son bringing them to school, I’d be disappointed in her.

On the first day of year 4; it was a silly thing to let your son do OP, if you think about it. Such a busy time for the poor teacher

I'd actually not back teacher if I didn't believe they should be banned. I would catch the teacher at the pick-up and ask for the reason and explain this is a change from the last year. And see where it takes. Then, I will transmit what I gear from the teacher to my child, verbatim, and also Co firm that from my perspective the teacher is mot reasonable but "his class-his rules".

Agree completely with this.

I can understand banning books because they fight over them, but Jamie Smart books have been brilliant at getting the reluctant boys to read in my son's class.

It's a class with a high number of SEN kids.

I would actually complain officially to the school saying this.

Phoenix Comics is linked to a children's publisher - it has bunny v monkey in it - the whole initiative is about getting kids to read who possibly wouldn't otherwise.

The teacher needs educating about how value this is, instead of being snotty and judgmental and overly snobbish.

This isn't ok.

Ban for issues from fighting but not over content. Otherwise I hope she has gone through the rest of the books in the classroom and can explain why Roald Dahl and David Waillams amongst others are still on the shelves.

It's unacceptable for a teacher to be censoring books designed for that age group - especially books for reluctant readers. Who the hell does she think she is?

Inappropriate and over reaching.

Words are needed.

My year4 teacher banned Enid Blyton books (some of my favourites) to be honest it just made me want to read them all the more! I suppose her classroom her rules, but it is a shame, your DS sounds like a very kind boy.

her class, her rules... you might not see an issue with these books, but what about the parents of the children reading them? do they not have a say in what books their children read?

have you actually had a conversation with the teacher about the ban? or have you just assumed that your child is right and everyone else is wrong?

What a shame. My father is dull and boring, he always made me feel ashamed and immature for liking anything silly as a child. She could have handled the situation in a far better way.

One of my grandchildren loved these books, I've recommended them to my son to encourage his reluctant reader.

I think they're fine a definitely appeal to this age group.

We had a teacher who banned the Horrid Henry books because all the characters are little dicks 😂 and she said it wound them up into silly behaviour.

I mean, just let him read his preferred books at home?

This totally. Some children, not saying this is the OPs child btw, get very possessive and anxious about personal items they have brought in to “share”, I used to run a lunch time Comic Club, but it became very awkward when one child made others feel uncomfortable if they asked to read his comics , it made what was designed as a lunchtime refuge for children who were struggling in the playground very difficult . Maybe there is another child in the class who behaves like this so the teacher has taken the decision that no one brings in personal items to share.

OP, your child is moving up the school, he should be maturing and realising that a) his reading choices, and the reading choices of the class, need to reflect this and b) what was appropriate behaviour last year isn’t necessarily appropriate this year. Is he a bit anxious about school and perhaps holding onto this book sharing as a comfort activity?

The first few weeks of the new term are really important in setting the “tone” for a new class, the teacher has to establish how she wants the class to be, she has to make her expectations about how the children behave in class crystal clear, and each teacher makes their own decisions - from how children come into the class in the morning, to how they prepare to leave in the afternoon, and everything in between - they might seem small and petty expectations to parents but cumulatively they send an important message to the class. And believe me, if you do get it wrong in the first few weeks it takes a long time to sort it out later.

I do not love these books but they got my then 6 year old reading. Bunny v Monkey, CatKid, Dogman then onward and upwards to proper books with sentences. He still goes back to these a lot and reads them for fun. I really don't like the content at all but count myself v lucky that he can read them and it keeps him away from screens.

Can understand the teacher if it's more of a logistical issue swapping books or if he was reading something actually inappropriate! There are loads of kids books I don't like but outwardly disapproving seems counterintuitive to me (although I have the luxury of disappearing them at home, bye bye Horrid Henry).

Secondary school English teacher here - the value judgement is the problem, not the saying the books can't be shared in class.

For what it's worth, my 9 year old loves Bunny Vs Monkey, The Phoenix, Corpse Talk etc. they also read more typical novels like Percy Jackson etc. You can enjoy both and Bunny vs Monkey actually has some fairly sophisticated vocabulary a times.

I cannot stand David Walliams. Those books have terrible messages in them.

I don’t love those books - even though we have millions of them - but they got my children reading when they were young and now they read novels.

Pretty shitty of the teacher to shame book choices, tbh.

My suggestion: back the teacher, but for his next birthday party the gift bag is bunny vs monkey or looshkin.

I took all these out of my book corner and hid them 😂