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

Bunny versus monkey is a comic book. It's not really encouraging reading.

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Getting boys to read anything is a huge goal. Jamie Smart's books have words, sometimes quite tricky ones. They have in depth stories and complex themes. The are incredibly creative. He is fast becoming a national treasure for getting kids excited about both reading and drawing.

Kids might read his comic books and go onto read other comics. They might get a subscription to the Phoenix. They might decide to read his Flember novels. Of course presenting kids with reading material that they enjoy is encouraging reading.

Seriously, he's 8. People saying they are comics and not many words in them. There is more to it than that! There is everything behind the words, the animations, the humour, all really important for encouraging them eventually to pick up a book with 'more words'. People are so short sighted and close minded!

This.
Has she specifically said there is a problem with bunny vs monkey?
I’m a teacher and would heavily discourage kids bringing stuff to school to give or swap with anyone. They get lost, broken, not given back…..
This really isn’t schools problem to deal with, he can swap them outside of school. In the playground before or after school.
We’ve had to ‘ban’ several things that kids like to swap or lend or collect over the years. It always ends in tears and arguments and accusations! I have better things to do with my time.

This. It doesn't matter if it's Dickens or Jamie Smart. It's encouraging opening a book.

Schools also have different rules to home. Often books that schools lend have been approved by the local authorities, school admins etc

My teacher best friend let's her kids read stuff at home that is banned at school because as a parent she gets to decide, but as a teacher she has to be very uncontroversial

Hence kids in secondary schools end up watching u films or needing permission to shoe pgs whilst their parents are watching deadpool with them at the weekends

The issue is likely not about her being concerned that he is reading them but encouraging other kids to under her watch

She will have no idea if the next one he brings in is incredibly awful or just as mild

Many of us experienced the Jacqueline wilson/Judy bloom thing where we were allowed to read very adult material because our parents didn't realise they were from a different part of the collection to the kids bit.

Your kid is showing stuff to other kids that she hasn't vetted the content of

Bunny versus monkey is a comic book. It's not really encouraging reading. It's tricky because wimpy kid, Tom Gates, David Walliams are all fairly moronic but kids enjoy them. At least those have more words.

I let DS read lots of comic books: dog man, manga, etc he's a really good reader but unfortunately hed rather be reading twaddle and it's quite counter productive.

I'd be annoyed if my dc were reading comic books in class.

I can’t believe posters are making up reasons why books shouldn’t be brought into school at all when the OP has clearly stated this teacher has banned these specific Jamie Smart books due to being in her opinion “rude, violent and inappropriate”.

She is censuring his reading choices by publicly shaming him for what he likes to read. It is totally inappropriate and potentially bullying by staff.

I remember when my reluctant reader son was in year 4, CatKid (same author) was the first book he showed any interest in reading - it branched out into other comics and really enhanced his reading progress. He now enjoys other comics.
I have also seen Bunny Vs Monkey, and think it's a fine read for kids!
Hardly the silliest/inappropriatehumour out there on the market these days. Some are pretty awful!

The teacher is in charge not you. From what you've said about those books it doesn't seem like they are at all suitable for reading during class time.

If she doesn't want to deal with lost or damaged books, then she says that. She absolutely shouldn't say 'I don't approve of the books you are reading' when they are absolutely appropriate for 8 year olds.

I also imagine it's less about the content of the books and more about the logistics of lending them

She's probably worried about the day when another parent storms in claiming her son is being given something inappropriate

Unless she reads every single one before it goes home with a pupil, then she's got no idea if it's a wholesome tale or a violent political manifesto or book of sex tips but it will be her that parents blame if their kids come home with something they don't agree with

Also re the issue of kids loosing, damaging etc. It's a headache waiting to happen

School libraries have clear policies, vetting and don't come storming into a teacher if something goes wrong

Just swap it with friends outside of school

Teachers making children cry over the sort of books they enjoy should not be thought of as their right and parents complaining about this sabotage of their educational and learning prospects due to being publicly shamed for their book choices should not be ‘entertainment’.

What happens if the book goes missing? Would you blame the teacher? Lend books outside of school.

I don’t know the books you are referring to but I would think children bringing in their own books and swapping between friends is at best a distraction. She probably doesn’t want to deal with the inevitable lost or damaged books or one child feeling excluded or whatever.

Bless him, he sounds like the class librarian!

Just tell him to lend them outside of the school gates, like he'd lend most things really.

Maybe she doesn't want the responsibility of other kids damaging your childs property

Or a whole host of reasons

Her classroom her rules

I'm not a fan of obeying authority for the sake of it and I am also not a fan of anything that discourages children from reading. I'm honestly amazed at the idea that children are banned from bringing books to school anywhere.

I monitor the lexical level of the books the children in my class read closely.
The can read whatever they want at home but there needs to be an appropriate level of challenge in their books at school.

Plus all of the points above regarding not lending out stuff from home!

She's discouraging reading if she's sneering at his preferred reading material.

Jamie Smart's books are fantastic.

Not sure how she is discouraging reading & sharing books-it doesn't have to be done at school!

It is her class her rules, and I can see the rationales for it but it's a shame if it's made your son feel glum about reading.

A teacher of 8 year olds is banning a boy from bringing in books to share with his friends because she deems them "rude, violent and inappropriate"

Fucksake. And then they don't go onto pass GCSE English.

I don't know these books but if they contain toilet humour I'm on the teacher's side. I'm really not I'm favour of that type of humour in children's literature.

She may be protecting herself - if others bring home his books without parents seeing them and approving them, and those parents disapprove of the books, then it’d be her head on the chopping board. I don’t let children swap things in class full stop as I can never be sure if the child giving away their items has the approval of their parents or not. A full ban really is easier!

Lots of primary schools don't allow kids to bring in toys, books etc because of the hassle involved if they go missing or ruined in some way.