AIBU to write this in DD’s reading record?

[BikeRunSki]

I did not make DD read all of this book. In her words it is “Stupid, boring and poop”. She read the first and last chapters, and a few pages of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone instead.

I didn’t write this, but she asked me to. She’s 6/Y2 and the school reading scheme is seriously putting her off reading.

Very smug, are you one of those parents who thinks your little Clementine is top of the class. Just put she read a book from home.

You know, teachers don’t assume that their reading book is all most kids are reading. Maybe it is the only book reluctant readers or those from a background where books and reading are not encouraged will see that week, but teachers know that most children will be reading widely at home.

Reading schemes are not perfect, they are expensive and can be tricky to get right, particularly at the start of a school year. Just make sure your DC is reading widely, no need to advertise this to the teacher. As long as she could do some folllow up comprehension work on her assigned book in class it’ll be fine. Whether you sit down and make her do it is up to you, and probably part of a more general approach to homework. Personally I go with the idea that homework just has to be done, you’ve just got to grind it out and get it over with. Which is a life skill in itself.

It says right there in the first post that she’s not going to write it.

Yes I know it did but the topic would be "would I be unreasonable to do X" so saying I think it would be better to do Y is hardly out of left field!

I do agree with PP that almost all DC read books outside of the reading scheme and usually they're more difficult than the books sent home (because they match DC's interests more). I don't think there's any harm in mentioning that she enjoys reading HP at home but it won't make any difference to anything anyway.

Why are so many people obsessed with getting their kids to read Harry Potter in infant school? It's as if it's the ultimate sign that your child is advanced for their age. There are other books you know!

Ds is y3 and I've told him to change any books he's struggling with and made some suggestions of more appropriate ones he might consider. I'd just sign it off, with a note that a different kind of book might engage him better.

My dd is 7 and in year 3 and is a very confident and fluent reader but I agree that comprehension skills are very important.

Dd has had several books that she's just not enjoyed- at all. I still make her read them and will comment that dd has read the book but didn't really enjoy it. Equally if she does enjoy a book then I write that too.

Our school asks that we write in the reading record what the children have also read at home which I didn't often do in younger years but as she is reading for pleasure more now then I tend to just add something at the bottom like "dd has also been reading The secret seven/Matilda/Horrid Henry or whatever so her teacher is aware.

Don't be "that parent"

Why would you want to share the news that your child is quite rude with her language?

Just say didn't want to read X book from school so read Z instead. It's all you need.

I've just discussed this issue with DS teacher at Parents Evening.
DS complains that the reading scheme books are boring and I have to agree
Teacher stated that the reading scheme books are structured to help vocab development and this is noticeable in the children who use them.
We agreed to read 'school' and 'own' books a few times a week for balance.

I don't mean struggling as in 'too difficult' I mean struggling as in 'not interesting' btw.

Why are so many people obsessed with getting their kids to read Harry Potter in infant school? It's as if it's the ultimate sign that your child is advanced for their age. There are other books you know!

This is true!

Also, you do find that some of these kids reading Harry Potter and the like don't have very good comprehension skills because they have focused solely on decoding, which is only actually half of what reading is.

Yes it’s a joke. I said in my OP that I didn’t write it. Tbh I do agree with dd’s comments, but I get your points about writing ability matching reading ability.

I actually said “DD struggled to stay interested in this story, so she read pages xx and XX, and then chose to read a few pages of HPATPS”.

She does understand the HP book. She wouldn’t understand the later ones, but brginning of the first one is pretty straightforward if you know the story.

Kids, even advanced readers, follow a reading scheme for a reason. As our class teacher has said to us previously, just because kids can read a book, doesn’t mean they understand it. It also doesn’t mean they’ll have gaps in their learning.
My DSD has always been a voracious reader and was bored by lots of the scheme books. However, we just wrote ‘not engaged by this one’ or something similar and different books would then come home. She read lots alongside the scheme (Roald Dahl, CS Lewis, etc, and yes, JK Rowling too). Your DD shouldn’t just be reading the book, you should be asking questions and developing concepts, themes, etc with her too. Ask about the language, synonyms, rhyming words, and so on.
Suck it up and stop being so competitive. Your attitude will just cue massive eye rolling from the staff and do your DD no favours.

This place is weird these days. Op made a joking remark in a moment of frustration. That's all.

By Y2 DD2 only read school books at school during quiet reading or group reading and at home she read home books. I just tended to write what she had read, the teacher didn't seem to have a problem with it.

Why are so many people obsessed with getting their kids to read Harry Potter in infant school? It's as if it's the ultimate sign that your child is advanced for their age. There are other books you know!

I was about to say exactly the same thing. I absolutely love the Harry Potter books, but a child in Y2 is too young to read the whole series, so what's the point? They miss so much of what they could be learning from the Harry Potter books if they waited until they were older, and there are so many other brilliant, age appropriate books to choose from. Why do parents want their child to miss out on those?

It really isn't doing their children any favours. Go to a book shop or a library and choose suitable books for the child's age instead, it will be much more worthwhile.

I will also never understand why some parents seem proud of the fact that they never write in the reading diary. All they're asked to do is read regularly and then write in what's been read, whether it's the books we send home or not. Surely providing that little piece of information to help teachers and TAs do their best for your child isn't too much to ask?

I'd write

"DD tried with this book but isn't dining's the reading syllabus stimulations. We have read some Harry Potter instead which she enjoyed and has done well with"

This place is weird these days. Op made a joking remark in a moment of frustration. That's all.

Surely the post was pointless if there wasn't an element of being serious to it?

I agree that Harry Potter is wasted on Year 2 children, even the first one.

We got a book about children who were sleeping rough or squatting because of a bad home life. It mentioned one child's father having sexually assaulted him (in words that went over my 6 year old's head, thankfully). I think it was aimed at struggling 10-14 year olds.

LifeInPlastic what suggests I am being competitive ?

Yes we read the books, talk about the story, the context, the characters and so on. We read other books too, me to her, her to me , it’s just the last night she chose Harry Potter.

Itwasntmeitwashim has it bang on.

You’ve forgotten to put light hearted in the thread title and posted in AIBU, OP.

There’s no reason for reading books to be at the wrong level just because of writing, they are very different skills. Hopefully if you keep having to write that in the reading diary, then someone will look at the level of books she’s coming home with.

Comprehension is linked with Vocab, so as long as she’s reading widely, the texts have a reasonable number of new words and you are discussing the meanings of those words with her, I wouldn’t worry too much about the reading scheme.

Another fine example of the parenting humble-brag "my child is soo advanced, this book just isn't challenging or interesting enough".

Why are so many people obsessed with getting their kids to read Harry Potter in infant school? It's as if it's the ultimate sign that your child is advanced for their age. There are other books you know!

Yep! Harry Potter isn’t even that well written.

@MeAgainSparkle

You're totally right. They really aren't. But that's probably why so many publishing houses turned it down. But it is such a magical story that it will always be loved!

It is just a bit too old for young kids. The how to train your Dragon book series is much better and great for kids this age. I don't know why parents don't use that one instead.