to not force my teenager to read a book a week?

[milafawny]

My 15 year old daughters school have initiated a new reading scheme that states every child must read a book "for pleasure" each week and produce a written report on it for every Monday.

I have a few objections to this.

Firstly, this is not "reading for pleasure", this is enforced reading with follow up home work each week.

The selection of books isn't open, they have to read books provided on the app on their iPad, again, making it not "for pleasure" when they cant select the book.

The smallest book in the selection is 300 pages long. Most are longer. The largest has 1200+ pages. Expecting a book of that size to be finished weekly along with a completed report, on top of GSCE level homework, is a big ask.

Specifically regarding my daughter, she is diagnosed with both dyslexia and ADHD. She has already be informed in school that this scheme is expected of her too. Reading is not, nor has it every been, an activity she does for pleasure. Its takes her time, she gets frustrated and upset when she cant understand or stay focussed. We have tactics in place for when she has to read, usually breaking it into smaller sections but this doesn't allow for reading longer texts, but these tactics are not enough to have her motivated to read a different book every single week. She cannot read something aloud at all. She still find its difficult to focus attention long enough to watch a film. In something she has no interest in, namely reading, she's not even going to manage 5 minutes. I have bought her many many books over the years that are ones she has expressed an interest in - most are non-fiction biology books. Ive tried with books of things she has shown interest in, such as horrible history's that are more factual. None of the selection of books are like this, they are all fictional story based. We have tried harry potter and hunger games as we broke the films down and watched it as you would watch a tv show, i think she managed the first chapter of book 1 of harry potter in a month. She gets no enjoyment from it.

Would IBU to email school and state my daughter is not participating in the scheme, and expect this not to result in a weekly detention due to the reasons i have outlined?

Utterly bizarre list. I can understand some like this in yr 7 but with longer to read the books but it makes no sense in year 11.

Even if it were just those books were over the whole school year, its an impossible task! Ive emailed her form tutor asking for someone to clarify the programme, (though i have seen the outline they gave to my daughter in school which clearly states the same as what she has told me), before i very clearly state my daughter will not be partaking in this ridiculous scheme.

There is some depressing shite on there. I couldn’t even get through The Colour Purple on film, let alone the book.

Just say no. All work at this point should be done towards GCSE, which is stressful enough.

That book list is absolutely ridiculous.
Crime and punishment, FFS.
There are a lot of long books in there as well as books that are difficult to get in to.

It won't just be your daughter who can't manage this, I'd hazard a guess that the majority of the pupils won't be able to read all of these compulsory books even if they don't have dyslexia.

Those books need more than a week to read and write a report. Although there are some good ones on there too.
Pity you are doing an MSC and your own reading, I used to read to my boys even once they were teens, we'd lie of the bed and I'd only do one chapter a night. But they would often read ahead if it was getting exciting and then listen to it over again when I read it. No book reports needed.
By the end of high school (age 15 and up) they had to pick books from lists and they were worth points for English class, but they had to do a quick test in the library to confirm it had been read.
Oldest is a massive book worm. Second still reads for pleasure.

I'll give their scheme a week. There is no way these 15 year olds will be reading AT LEAST 42 pages of a book they haven't been allowed to choose themselves and write a report.

I think the school have got confused. What they've sent home is a list of books it would be good to read IN YOUR LIFETIME.

I'm a fairly avid reader but I wouldn't read a novel in a week around my work and other responsibilities. I think that is far too much to ask of school children.

I think they are trying to encourage children to see reading as a viable downtime activity as opposed to just looking at screens. In principle I am all for that. If people see reading as being a chore and as somehow in opposition to relaxation it isn’t going to help their kids see the value in it.

But as PPs have pointed out for a child with SEN it’s a very different story. It seems a pretty heavy handed approach. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect them to submit reports on all these books and it rather negates the point of “reading for pleasure”.

Could you negotiate with school to allow her a lighter load or a longer timeframe? Agree also on the audiobook idea.

I wouldn't make my child do this. My son is only 10 but I don't make him do the 'reading record' anymore because they had to choose a book from school library and read it every night. I emailed to explain that my son loved reading and reads every evening, but he likes specific books and creating and reading comic books. When your child is a confident and avid reader already, I think this is pointless. I would absolutely not support him reading on an ipad either as too much screen time affects his ADHD.

If there is a WhatsApp group for your DD’s class, you could reach out to other parents as well and perhaps if enough of you objected to it, the whole scheme could be scrapped? I agree this is something that is ableist and impossible for your DD but even high performing children with no disabilities are going to struggle through that list at the rate on one book a week on top of studying for GCSEs. This scheme is a good way to lower the schools GCSE score report and standing.

There is some depressing shite on there. I couldn’t even get through The Colour Purple on film, let alone the book.

Hmmm that’s a bit harsh and probably not helpful. I agree the book list is well over the top but you’re not going to encourage your kids to read telling them good books are “depressing shite”.

This!
(& I have a house of bookworms one of whom writes 5 book reviews a week for fun.)

If the school won't play ball I would find her the audiobooks of the selection but it doesn't help with the report.

Yes, I would agree with that. And most enthusiastic readers tend only to read novel in a week if they are on holiday. Then they relax and enjoy without having to write a review.

That is such a dull list. Individually many of those books are good but having to read them to tick them off a list is not going to make anyone enjoy them.
When I was doing my GCSEs I did read for pleasure - but I read Sweet Valley High and Babysitter's Club. They were my relaxation and escapism.
Once I left school I "thought" I was meant to enjoy proper adult novels like Jane Austen and couldn't understand why I didn't really like them. The adult books that got me to cross over from Sweet Valley to "grown up" books were the Tales of the City series and the novel Fried Green Tomatoes. I still have my copies of those - I am talking about almost 25 years ago. Keeping and re-reading certain books for 25 years shows those books are so important to me.
When I was about 25 I started reading what is known as Saga Fiction. Easy to read novels about young women and their lives - usually set in the 1st or 2nd World Wars. Cheap, mass market paperbacks churned out regularly books. I spent a decade devouring these books.
This is what reading for pleasure is about. Trying genres, trying different authors, reading easy to read stories that are just a story and doesn't need to be analysed.
@milafawny your daughter has great taste in TV programmes. I like the Tess Gerristen books too. I have recently had a 2 year drought of not being able to concentrate on reading (COVID destroyed my attention span). The latest Rizzoli and Isles book has just got me back 🙂
They'd probably be alright for a 15 year old. My 15 year old has recently discovered "Misery Memoirs" 🙄

Op I really sympathise. I have 3 kids age 14-19 we went through a few years of accelerated reader (AR) pain with them in middle school years.

The older 2 are autistic and middle DD has ADHD as well. They are good readers both got 8-9s in English GCSEs. The youngest had a reading age of 16 when she was 8. So no issues there but they all hated AR. DS refused to fill out the reports but he got enough credit as the teachers "saw" him reading in school. DD2 got so distressed and stressed about it we kicked off with the school and told them she was not going to participate. One of her recent a level eng lit essays got a perfect score so she is absolutely fine with reading. Dd2 is nt and just did what she needed to on AR she got fed up with the limitations on books you could quiz on. So it did very little to encourage her either.

It is all nonsense - designed to encourage reading and incentivise it which is fine until you make it compulsory for kids that don't need it but will get really stressed out about it.

Just apply the schemes with a bit of sensitivity and common sense. 🙄

I would speak to the school to try and change the assignment into something which your daughter is going to be able to do - and then encourage her to do it once amended.

I would possibly think about starting to read a book with her before you hear back even if not planning to read the same books or in the same timings.

I'd not be keen on telling my daughter not to do the work which has been set for her as i'd worry she would think that she didn't need to complete work which was difficult when it was set in the future.

I also think that dismissing what the teacher sets and not coming to your daughter as more of a "team" with your teacher could lead her to be dismissive of the teacher in school when she doesn't agree with the teacher - but would hope the teacher would be supportive of giving work which would be achievable and helpful to your daughter.

We had a similar scheme in the 90s when I was at school. I loved reading and read classics for fun, but I hated the list and cheated.

I'm currently reading a classic novel for fun which is 900 pages long, and I'm only half way through it after three months! I also adore The Count of Monte Cristo but couldn't read it in a week whilst working for GCSEs. I'd be astonished if her peers achieve this.

My tactics would be to a) ask for reasonable adjustments, b) choose the short ones (eg Lion the witch and the wardrobe), c) use audible when in the car / washing up / doing Art homework (I struggle to sit and listen to something unless I'm doing something practical), d) read chapters in conjunction with TV adaptations. Little Fires Everywhere was good!

I wouldn't just discount it though - reading a bit each night is a valuable habit, as is supporting the school.

I disagree that "reading each night is a valuable habit" even as an avid reader and budding writer.

My MIL was a teacher (not of English) and didn't read for pleasure until she was in her 30s or 40s and she turned out ok.

And Audible is relatively expensive. It's not the only way to get audiobooks but I wouldn't recommend it as universally accessible.

Plus I can't listen to audiobooks while doing some activities as one activity spoils the other. I can listen while walking but can't concentrate on a book while working, or painting/drawing as both activities require similar concentration.

My husband hates reading and was a national newspaper journalist. It's surprising but you can actually still have a wide vocabulary and good writing skills but dislike reading books. He reads other things like news, online articles and social media haha

And I would even go as far as to say that reading for pleasure has no mysterious virtue to recommend it above many other pastimes. Indeed, for a teenager spending more time sat on their arse than they already have to do is not to be advised and a lot of them could do with being more active, especially girls, as this is the time that many give up active hobbies. Some due to homework pressures, and this is just another one.

If it were up to me everything would get done at school - cut the number of subjects and homework - or self guided work - gets done in free periods. Then they can go home and do what they want.

PSA (not for you or your DD, OP, as you said) you can borrow audio books through the local library, and ebooks. I recently took up my library membership again and hardly ever go there - it's all done through the Libby app now. Brilliant!

Mine are still in primary and are keen readers but I can already see the issues with the AR scheme as it only 'rewards' reading a whole book (i.e. fiction books). Both of mine love fact books and that seems just as valuable to me but cannot get credit for reading a few pages of eg a children's encyclopedia. Which is fine for mine as they are reading fiction too but not so fine for ones where their only reading is the fact stuff. Before even starting on SEN issues.

I have suggested to the teacher that responded to me that for my daughter a realistic goal is either for her

To select on book off the list, and try to finish it in an unspecified amount of time if the books read have to be off that list and help her to complete the report. (I would supplement this with films if possible that i can break up into tv show type sessions to try and get her more interested in the book)

Or

If they will allow us to select other books that are not on the list, i will work with them and her to find books that will hold her interest and encourage her to read one per half term and help her to complete book reports on them.

I feel this is a reasonable resolution?

I would fight to change the parameters, and get rid of the list for a start. Let them read whatever they want, whether its a short story or even a blog post or article?