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A 'Bill of Rights' for young readers!

22 replies

candleshoe · 27/04/2011 19:15

What do you think of these rights? Are there any you disagree with? Would you add any? Does your school allow freedom like this to your child? Do you?

The right to not read.

The right to skip pages.

The right to not finish.

The right to reread.

The right to read anything.

The right to escapism.

The right to read anywhere.

The right to browse.

The right to read out loud.

The right not to defend your tastes.

OP posts:
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mrz · 27/04/2011 19:21

Are you serious?

candleshoe · 27/04/2011 19:22

Yeah!

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FreudianSlipOnACrown · 27/04/2011 19:23

I don't understand [cblush]

candleshoe · 27/04/2011 19:28

I think what I'm getting at is that schools, and parents too, give little or no choice in early reading and I wonder if a more relaxed child-led approach would result in more beneficial results.

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pozzled · 27/04/2011 19:32

Yes, I would certainly object to

'The right to not read'

All children should be reading. A lot. It's an absolutely vital skill and they can't get better at it without practice.

'The right to skip pages.'

I'm not convinced by this. No problem when it is applied to non-fiction (who reads non-fiction cover to cover?) but if applied to fiction a lot of children will struggle to understand the plot if they skip parts. If it's not interesting enough to read, it's probably the wrong book for them.

'The right to read anywhere.' Possibly. But certainly not 'at any time'

'The right to read anything.'
No. I don't believe in huge amounts of censorship, but reading material should be appropriate for the child's age and maturity.

candleshoe · 27/04/2011 19:38

Would you defend your child's right to not paint/do a puzzle/play in the home corner etc? Or would you make him/her because it was important? Do you see my point?

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galois · 27/04/2011 19:39

Uh?

I have an alternative bill of rights

  1. Access to reading books which support the phonics taught in class.
  1. Access to a variety of genres, and a choice between fiction and non-fiction from an early age.
  1. Appropriate support from school and family: being listened to by an adult at home and at school most days of the week.
  1. The right to be read to, whenever, wherever, (more-or-less) whatever. Even if it's bloody Winnie the Witch for the hundredth time, Enid Blyton or Beast Quest.
candleshoe · 27/04/2011 19:41

I like 'the right to be read to!' Excellent!

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pozzled · 27/04/2011 19:51

"Would you defend your child's right to not paint/do a puzzle/play in the home corner etc? Or would you make him/her because it was important?"

If the painting/puzzle etc was planned as part of the focus activities (i.e. not considered 'optional' by the teacher) then yes, I would expect her to do it. If you're talking about EYFS, there is a balance of child-led and adult-led learning- I would expect my DD to cooperate in all the adult-led activities. And I would be concerned if there were any areas that she never participated in.

If you grant 'the right not to read' you take the chance that the child never chooses to do so. However, the 'reading' that they do should of course be appropriate to their age and understanding.

Can I ask what age you have in mind for this 'bill of rights'? Allowing a 4 year old child to 'not read' is very different from an 8 year old, but I'd consider both 'young readers'.

candleshoe · 27/04/2011 19:54

Perhaps the right not to read at a given moment would be better?

I would apply it to all school age readers.

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pozzled · 27/04/2011 20:02

Better, and I can see why you would want to include it, reading should be enjoyable, not a chore. But I just don't think it's practical in a school situation.

I would add:

The right to express dislike for a text.
The right to have access to a wide range of texts.
The right to talk about what they have read.

SDeuchars · 27/04/2011 20:12

How about:
The right not to have to talk about what they have read

SDeuchars · 27/04/2011 20:17

Pozzled: If you grant 'the right not to read' you take the chance that the child never chooses to do so.

I guess you do but it is highly unlikely that a child in our society, surrounded by print, would deliberately choose not to read. At some point, they will see a reason for reading (even if it is to read trading cards or handheld games).

Many home-educating parents allow children to lead the way into reading and they generally find that children start to read between the ages of about 2 and about 10. Many of us would totally agree with CandleShoe's original "bill" and most of us would also read to a child until they were able to read for themselves.

SDeuchars · 27/04/2011 20:20

BTW, CandleShoe, did you mean "The right to read out loud."? Were you thinking of reading aloud to oneself or reading to someone else?

I'd want to say "The right not to read out loud." A friend of mine started school (50 years ago) able to read but was not believed - she could not read aloud because of hearing impairments and the way to "test" reading ability was to aska child to read aloud. I'd contend that "reading aloud" is a different skill from "reading".

mrz · 27/04/2011 20:31

The right to not read. to be illiterate?
The right to skip pages.
The right to not finish.
The right to reread.
The right to read anything. anything!
The right to escapism.
The right to read anywhere. at the lunch table/in the bath/while riding my bike
The right to browse.
The right to read out loud.
The right not to defend your tastes.

not in my house I'm afraid

pozzled · 27/04/2011 20:39

SDeuchars

Good posts. I agree with the right not to have to talk, (although I strongly believe that they should have lots of opportunities to do so). And also about reading aloud, it's awful when children lacking in confidence are forced to read aloud, sometimes in front of their peers, it only makes things worse for them.

As for allowing the child to take the lead, you are probably right as well! Certainly IME most children are very keen to read as long as they are offered stimulating material. And can't wait to share their thoughts about a new book.

BoattoBolivia · 27/04/2011 20:57

candleshoe did you get these from the book by Daniel Pennac? Haven't got my copy to hand, but he really makes sense.

AnnieBesant · 27/04/2011 21:00

I always read in the bath!

cory · 27/04/2011 21:01

Ds is doing his best to claim the right not to read. At nearly 11 he has literally never read anything he has not been forced to read; he claims himself that the last whole book he read was a Magic Key book in Yr 2 and that may well be so.

It is not that he has had poor teachers, or not been encouraged to find reading material he enjoys, or has not had access to stimulating reading material (the house is full of books, public library on the doorstep, any amount of charity shops)- he just literally dislikes the activity of reading. He is lazy and has never liked doing things that come with an initial effort.

Unfortunately, this has a knock-on effect on all other studies, so he has slipped behind even in subjects he ought to be quite good at.

I do not see this as a positive thing.

Of course it may be that one day he will see the light and try to catch up, but even then he will be at an enormous disadvantage compared to his peers who were prepared to put the work in when they were younger.

Not much comfort to me that most children would be different in his situation- this is the child I have to deal with.

Though our other child (brought up in exactly the same way) is a voracious reader- the right to read anywhere in her case would be positively anti-social: she needs to be told that other people have rights too. To be listened to, to get some help, not to feel that her reading matters more than all the rest of us.

pinkgirlythoughts · 27/04/2011 22:34

Cory, my sister, at almost 22, is very proud of the fact that she has never read a whole book, for pleasure. Even when she buys magazines, she claims to 'mostly just look at the pictures.'

mrz · 27/04/2011 22:45

BoattoBolivia I think Pennac's rights of the reader are

  1. The right to read.
  2. The right to skip.
  3. The right not to finish a book.
  4. The right to read it again
  5. The right to read anything.
  6. The right to mistake a book for real life.
  7. The right to read anywhere.
  8. The right to dip in.
  9. The right to read out loud.
10. The right to be quiet and not discuss the book with anyone.
candleshoe · 27/04/2011 23:20

I haven't heard of Pennac - but maybe I've read something based on his work? Don't know really. I like no. 6.

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