Low aspirational teachers

[jugglingact]

Hi, just wanted to know if anyone has had a similar experience - my dd is a good reader for her age (7) and enjoys reading books pitched at a level slightly higher (7-9 year old). She managed to complete our local library reading challenge this summer and read 6 books, with a good understanding of all books and was able to recount the story in great detail. Today she has been sent home with one of those damned Sophie the Sapphire Fairy books as her class reading book. AAHHH - she could read and enjoy those in year 1, now she is in year 3. Am I being a pushy parent to get annoyed with this? Should I take it up with the school? I really don't want her to get bored with reading, and feel unchallenged. She is upset that her friends have been given books that she wants to read and feels as if she isn't as worthy of better books. Stuck as to how to handle these teachers with little aspiration and challenge for pupils!

[DinahRod]

New year, teacher doesn't know her yet? Put something in her reading book that indicates it was too easy.

[durga]

My dd used to be given awful reading books, I ignored them and now update her reading diary with what she is reading at home. I told the teacher I was doing this and she was fine with it.

[Goblinchild]

'She is upset that her friends have been given books that she wants to read and feels as if she isn't as worthy of better books. Stuck as to how to handle these teachers with little aspiration and challenge for pupils!'

Yet her friends are being challenged with their reading materials? So it's not low expectations in general, just that you feel the teacher is wrong with regards to your child?
Go and have a conversation with the teacher and ask why.

[ZZZenAgain]

get a decent book and have her read that instead

[ZZZenAgain]

can you give us an example of a book one of the friends is reading that she would like to have been given?

[cory]

"I really don't want her to get bored with reading, and feel unchallenged."

But surely if she is a competent reader, she can race through the book in a very short time and spend the rest of the evening reading Lord of the Rings?

Homework is not like a lesson where you have to spend a set amount of time. So bored shouldn't really come into it, as far as the homework goes. Nor even unchallenged, if you can supply more challenging material. Unappreciated, I can understand, but hopefully it won't take her long to show her teacher what she can do.

Dd did get very annoyed with library restrictions at junior school, as she was well in advance of what the school thought suitable for her age, but it certainly didn't put her off reading, just made her more eager to get down to the local library at the end of the day. For a good reader, the reading set by school is such a small part of the reading they do anyway.