Aibu to think schools don't push reading as much as they used to?

[Numberonecook]

Before anyone comments I'd like to put it out there that I read with my kids everyday. They do all their homework and they have a wide selection of books available. But I'm worried school are not pushing her enough.

Talking to DH yesterday I commented on how I loved to read as a child, I thought back and it struck me that by the time I was DC3's age (6) I was already ready reading quite grown up classics and by the time I got to DC2s age I had read a wide range of books. All by myself in my spare time. My youngest wouldn't be ready for such books and my middle child is not bothered about fictional books. I have to pay the teenager to read

I spoke to DC3 teacher about her reading and that I felt she should be coming along a little more. She said she's already ready just above average for her age and I shouldn't worry.

Now I know we now have the digital age where computers and the internet are the norm. I know there was nothing else to do but read when I was a kid or watch tv with mum and dad or is it schools do not encourage children as much as they used to? I just feel they don't see it as importaint anymore.

My sons school push reading. My son was slightly behind so he was put with a reading helper a few times a week and read one book each time.

From January to now he has gone up 10 reading levels and no longer needs help. They even sent a letter saying they are proud of him which he has put on the fridge.

He reads everything. He just likes to guess the next word instead of just reading. He reads to someone most nights.

What do you mean you have to pay the teenager to read?!

Maybe I should of put a lol after that as it was a joke. He's terrible I literally have to sit him down with a book. Of course I don't actually pay him haha.

I don't think its schools, I think as you say it is the prevalence of other competing activities, on-demand TV and video games, and the internet. I also was reading Little Women etc at six (I know I was as the date is written in the front, and I remember doing it anyway) while 9 year old DS1 who is very bright will read classics he enjoys (eg Lord of the Rings) but does not have the voracious "read anything" attitude I had at that age. He feels the book has to be worth his while so to speak.

They push everything academic IME you were probably just a keen reader.
However I don't think they push playing, socialising, being emotionally well regulated and having fun enough.

Blimey. In my experience schools massively encourage children to read. I work in children's book publishing and attend literacy events at schools and literary festivals all over the country. The mantra is READ READ Read for pleasure, read for imagination, read to improve your mind etc etc.

My dcs teachers are always pushing all manner of different types of books.

My eldest dc (12) is hard to get to read for pleasure but I don't push it too much. I'm more likely to turn her off if I go on too much.

I used to read for pleasure for hours as a child too, but to be fair I didn't have access to BBC iplayer on my phone 😀.

I do think that schools encourage reading massively, however what else can they do? There not physically in our homes are they?

Do you take her to the library and let her explore the children's section at a whim to read whatever she likes? That's what I did as a kid, and I try to do this every weekend for DD and DN. It definitely encourages wider reading - only issue is the library doesn't let 8 yo dd check out books from outside the children's section. So if she wants to read more grown up books (Terry Pratchett is an obession right now) I have to biy them.

That isn't my experience at all. Dds primary school push reading a lot. both my dds 6 & 8 read unprompted for pleasure a lot.

I remember my mum being told off at parents evening because my brother didn't read enough, the only thing he would read was Xbox game manuals! He would obsessively read them over and over and hoard them under his pillow haha!

6 is very young to be reading classics, the 4 and 5 year olds I worked with were just beginning to read complete books and write sentences,

So don't be discouraged if they're not as book wormy as you are/were, they'll find something they love!

DD's school is very focused on reading. I think some children enjoy reading more than others though. I was a voracious reader as a child, whereas my sister just didn't enjoy it (same parents, school and access to books). You clearly loved reading, perhaps you're DC just don't feel the same, and therefore the impetus isn't there for them to push and push themselves to read more.

I'm a TA in Yr1&2. Reading is high on the agenda. We check reading records daily to see if books need changing. We have a library lesson every week and the teacher listens to children read daily whilst the rest of the class reads to themselves. The strongest readers are those that read daily at home.

OP the teacher isn't concerned because your child is above what is expected for her age. There will be several others that are below. I would enjoy your child's reading ability and continue as you are. Do you read now? I love reading, my DDs see me reading and they still read every night aged 13 and 16. Always include books for birthdays and Christmas presents.

YABU.

Reading is a massive priority. Last year's Year 6 SATS Reading paper was incredibly hard for a lot of schools who already thought they were pushing reading.

The problem is like you say, reading for pleasure and home reading has so much competition now. I was a prolific book worm and used to spend entire weekends just reading in my room. Now I am having to train myself back into reading by reading young adult books (the very same as I read as a pre-teen) because I don't have the same attention span as I used to.

It is no joke to say that a lot of people are addicted to technology. Watch how many people can't even watch a TV programme or film without being on their phone.

Not reading enough is a problem but not one you can blame schools for.

I remember being told at 11 that I should read Jane Austen or Charles Dickens. I didn't read either til I was an adult and still found much of Dickens hard going, and I have always hated Jane Austen. I read plenty of other adult books though, discovered Philippa Gregory at 12 who I still love (probably completely inappropriate for a 12 year old though). I read a lot of Stephen King and other horror. The classics really aren't the be all and end all of reading.

Paying a teen to read is ridiculous. When I was at uni I didn't read a word of fiction in term time because I had to read so much for the course, I wanted to do something different to relax. I can well imagine teenagers feeling the same.

My eldest(16) loved The Hunger Games trilogy and my youngest (13)is a late convert to Harry Potter.

I find as soon as a good book is published it's turned into a film.

Yes montgomerie and it's rarely as good as the book.

I feel that reading was pushed more in our day but these days they are more balanced and promote a wider variety of interests. E.g. Sport, music

Reading is definitely pushed at our school. We had quite a stern letter at the beginning of this year about how important it is.

I work in schools and reading for pleasure is massively pushed. For a six year old to read classic children's literature they would have to be well above average so maybe your benchmarks are a bit high.

Unfortunately teenage boys have always been the group least likely to read for pleasure so I wouldn't worry about that just try and keep him into something.

My son (also 6) sometimes reads fiction but he prefers non fiction so we have started buying him children's encyclopedias and things like that which he loves. Nothing wrong with that, it's still reading.

Either children will read or they won't. Either they have parents who will get them books, read with them, take them to libraries, model reading or they don't.
Nothing the school does will change that.

At what point did British people start to believe that the schools were responsible for absolutely everything connected to children?

I hated hated hated reading until 14. Then Jilly Cooper, Kackie Collins, Shirley Conran and Virginia Andrews spread through my class like wildfire

I ended up loving reading and did English Literature at university. I read an about 80 books a year - not as much as some, but more than others.

I think if you push too much, you push children away. DS has plenty of books around and we read him a bedtime story but he is just not interested in books whatsoever. He's 5yo. He'll get there.

I think the change is in parents not investing any time in reading with their children.
Parents used to read with and in front of their children. This is happening less and less.

It is sad.

Evidence for that?

The range of books available to children and teens now is huge. When I was 7 it was really Enid Blyton or the classics and then onto Judy Bloom etc. There's much more stuff in between so no reason to jump a divide.

I think there is a difference between pushing school reading (Biff, Chip etc) and home reading. Our school says at every parents / parent presentation that it is THE most important thing you can do with your child. Definitely rammed down our throats, and actually it has paid off in SATS results / selective entrance exams.