AIBU school library

[QuickThinkOfAName]

Old timer but name changed as I don't want to be linked as the situation is quite unique. Cancel the cheque spangran etc.

I just want to know if i'm being unreasonable. DD is 6 and just started year 2 in an infant school (so this is her last year here).

Not a stealth boast honest but she learnt to read when she was 3 so when she started school she was labelled a 'free reader' so instead of being given 'green' 'red' or 'rainbow' coloured books to read at home she could choose whatever she liked from the library. Fine in reception. Now however she's 6 and frankly there are only 2 fiction books in there that I've seen that are in an way challenging (and I don't even think they should be in the library as they're adult books!)

I've spoken to his teacher before (deputy head, highly experienced etc) and I said i was concerned she was being left to choose her own books and thought she needed guidance to make sure she was being challenged/getting the right level. And she said, well that's her challenge isn't it, to make sure she gets the right book.

I feel like I'm going mad as it's like banging my head against a wall! I don't have a problem with her being given 'a choice' etc but she's effectively been put in charge of her own reading education.

• Just because she has the reading age of an 11 year old or whatever, doesn't mean she has the emotional intelligence of one, she's 6! I don't think she should be responsible for her reading education.
• It's a different life skill being taught to choose appropriately and being able to read. I'd be happy if she had free roam of the library to choose AS WELL as being given something level appropriate.
• There's just not much in there for her level. I appreciate they're not going to have much but I've asked for what sort of level she's at so we can get stuff for her at home and they've been very dismissive.

Am I BU? She is an experienced teacher but I just feel a bit like because she's ticked all the boxes of skills to be learned they're just letting her coast. (Apologies this is a massive post...)

I don't know where you are OP, and I also don't know if local libraries /authorities still do this, but our local authority had a loan arrangement with the local libraries whereby each class could borrow a crate of books every term to supplement classroom books. Might be worth asking if your school/library/authority has a similar arrangement. There must be other advanced readers in the school who could also benefit from a wider range of reading material, poetry, play reading sets*, stories from other cultures, anthologies etc.

• great for advanced readers, good for motivation, expressive reading, character and plot development discussion etc etc.

Hi OP,
I'm a Primary teacher specialising in your DD's age group and a reading and literacy specialist. I completely understand your frustration with the lack of challenging reading material available for your DD- sadly, schools have more and more limited budgets these days and find themselves having to cater to the majority, although I can see this is of little help to you :(
It seems to me that the issue here is there policy around what 'counts' as a school reading book. Given that your daughter is reading well above the expected level for her age, it seems silly that they won't allow her to bring in books from home or from the local library to use as her school reader. It seems to me that if they are unprepared to provide suitable texts, then they are completely unreasonable to stop you from doing so. Perhaps this is a blanket rule that should really be ignored in these sorts of circumstances- I would ask the class teacher to relax this rule for your DD. As a class teacher, I'm DELIGHTED when a child is excited about reading and brings in fresh book ideas- that kind of enthusiasm is contagious!

If it HAS to be something from school, why can't she choose (with a bit of guidance) from the KS2 library or borrow from the book corners of a year 3 or 4 class? Or is she in a KS1-only infant setting?

I second the great advice that a lot of people here have said- broadening the variety of text types is a good way of advancing her reading without pushing her on to novels that may have unsuitable content. First News is a FANTASTIC resource and is a great way for more able readers to read a 'grown up' feeling newspaper without worrying about them accessing upsetting or frightening news stories.

Another often overlooked genre is poetry. My sister was an enormously advanced reader and poetry gave her a whole new avenue to explore when she got bored. You can buy loads of great anthologies, and of course try the classics like A.A. Milne and Spike Milligan.

Another poster mentioned short stories by classic authors- what a great idea. The Just So Stories by Kipling are a great place to start. Challenging but not too long. If you're feeling creative you could write some of your own 'Just So Stories' based on your DDs favourite animals together.

Magazines (children's National Geographic etc) , play scripts, non-fiction etc are all good ways to broaden her reading diet.

In terms of chapter books, a lot of great ideas have been mentioned. Can I also put in a good word for:

Varjak Paw series by SF Said
Pippi Longstocking books
Mrs Pepperpot

You could try classics like Black Beauty, Heidi etc as well.
Sorry for long post- good luck and I hope your DD keeps her love of reading, it's a wonderful gift and will benefit her throughout her life :)

Dd was a free reader in yr1 . The library books were either too easy or just not interesting. We also had to fill in a reading diary every night. Fortunately dds school were just happy she was reading and we were allowed to read local library books and abandoned the school readers.
We were also warned though to keep an eye on her comprehension of what she had read. They pointed out that just because she could read it she might not have necessarily understood it.

I agree with PP's about children's classics; I've had this discussion with the parents of (admittedly slightly older) pupils. Children were "younger in their ways" back in the day, and something written for an 8 or 10 year old might be considered a bit babyish by a 21st century pupil of the same chronological age, but are on the right emotional level, so to speak.
Also, consider Richmal Crompton's stories; she was actually writing about William and the Outlaws for the entertainment of adults (and was a bit miffed that nobody took her "proper writing" seriously); I had the reverse problem with this one; my classes revelled in William's antics, but could not cope with the sophisticated language she sometimes used, if they tried to read it for themselves.
I was an early avid reader myself, and have occasionally been slightly alarmed to realise what nuances had gone over my head; e.g. reading "Jane Eyre" at 10 or 11, and completely missing the implied shenanigans until I heard a radio serialisation years later.......

I also read Jane Eyre at a young age, twoshed, although an abridged version, and managed to come away with the impression it was a school story...