Detention for an overdue library book

[Giftedsleeper]

My daughter is a hard-working student who has never received a single sanction since starting Year 7. She is now in Year 9 and was mortified today to receive a detention for an overdue library book.
While I completely understand that the book was overdue, I do question whether it’s really necessary to issue a detention for this. It feels a little excessive to create fear around returning a library book on time, especially when we live in a world where encouraging children to read is already such a challenge.
I suppose I just needed to vent my frustration about this situation.

I suppose it depends how overdue the book was and what reminders there had been.

On the face of it, it sounds harsh, but if it was very overdue and she’d been reminded to return it, that’s a bit different.

No reminder, unfortunately, it was just very bad luck timing because there is a new librarian who has different rules!

Since detention means completely different things in different schools (from forgetting a pencil once to burning down a classroom... OK maybe slight exaggeration...) no one can say if its OTT.

But one detention generally means nothing in the long run. Its just a reminder to keep on top of things. Its not going to turn up on your university reference or stop you getting a job. Might not even be on your school report.

It sounds like all the students at the school have been allowed to take the piss with library books for a long time. I’m behind the librarian. It might be a shock to the system but it sounds like your daughter and other students have been getting away with this for too long and they all suffer if hundreds of overdue books are just ignored. They have to draw the line somewhere as to how overdue a book is before a sanction is issued. Just return the book and chalk the detention up to experience, this won’t have been her first reminder or warning of the consequences.

What sort of detention? 10 minutes at break? Can you imagine the extra workload put on the librarian, chasing up all the over due and lost books? Just say to your daughter, fair enough, next time you will remember, or you will get a detention again. They have very limited budgets and very limited time - this should be a lesson learned.

I think that children need to be a bit more resilient to correction. As someone who works with young people as students in my profession, it is getting harder and harder to give them any sort of feedback that isn't praise.

I find it somewhat dangerous that I find it difficult to say "you're doing that wrong", until it becomes a situation where there will be direct patient harm through wanting to avoid the potential of the conflict and controversy that comes from honest feedback about performance or expectations.

I’m sorry @Giftedsleeper but the book was late and prevented another pupil from using it. Actions, or in this case, inaction have consequences. She’ll take the book back next time.

You need to work with your daughter so she doesn’t feel ‘fear’ about a detention. The idea of this ‘creating fear’ for children who are 14 is a bit off to me. As PPs say, she will face further consequences and criticisms at points in her academic life. Support her in building up resilience so that she just sees the detention as something she has to do now because she didn’t return the book - not something to scare her.

Tbf most schools dish out detentions very freely.
I would tell your dd that it’s a lesson to be learned about returning books on time and move on.
My detentions at school were always whole class for being noisy whilst the teacher was out of the room. Too bad if you were sat quietly you still got the punishment.

Hi, library worker here. Absolutely not- no!! This is so far out of the realm of the basic philosophy at the root of libraries, I am absolutely furious on behalf of your daughter.
the LAST thing any true librarian wants is for a child (or adult) to experience retaliation, basically, for human error.

this is abhorrent. It’s reprehensible. It is not okay.

please tell her this is not a good representation of libraries and what we stand for; one should feel joy and anticipation when entering a library, not experience bad memories! I’m so sorry.

All this would teach my very well-behaved children is to stop going to the library and stop taking out books. It might make them disengage from school too as they would see it as petty and overbearing. Its completely the wrong message.

This wants raising as a policy check with the Head of Year - does the sanction align with the school behaviour policy?

I would personally take this unreasonable detention up with the school.

It's ok to politely challenge. The librarian sounds very unsuited to their role.

Don't libraries fine people for a late return any more? I hadn't realised that. Do people just bring it back when they want? I guess schools can't fine kids.

fully support discipline when it is applied fairly and in the right context. However, I feel that this situation is both extreme and unnecessary. My daughter is consistently respectful and resilient, and I do not believe this incident reflects poor behaviour on her part. By definition, a detention should be a consequence for poor behaviour. If this is what is being classified as such, perhaps it raises a broader question about the resilience of the adults issuing these detentions.

It doesn't say anything about adult resilience. That's silly. It says they want books returned on time so other kids can use them too. That's why fines used to be issued to adults for late returns.
How long is this detention that is creating fear and mortification in your dd? It's just sitting in a room. She doesn't sound that resilient at 14.

@Giftedsleeper detentions are not given only for bad behaviour - arriving late to a lesson, school uniform infringement, not having the right equipment.

Your daughter didn’t return the book as agreed. Other students may be waiting for it. Of course it’s not the end of the world but she did fuck up little bit and so a detention was given. Perhaps it is harsh. Perhaps new librarian has a remit to cut down on theft. But ultimately your daughter didn’t return the book and the detention is justified. You do the crime (theft of a book), you do the time (30 minutes after school).

I have no idea why you are questioning the librarian’s resilience - that makes no sense. I would also suggest that you/ your daughter are perhaps not all that resilient if you can’t handle the idea that she has received a detention.

@ViaRia01 Wouldnt really call that a small fuck up? More a slightly late library book.

@Giftedsleeper ah ok. She messed up. Made a mistake. Let something slip. In any case, she has not returned the book and the detention is a consequence of that error.

btw I also currently have overdue library books. I am not saying she ‘fucked up’ to be harsh or mean to your daughter. But I do believe in owning up to your mistakes. It’s easier that way on your own sense of self. I messed this up, I’ll try to put it right, I’ll try not to do it again, it is not the end of the world, I don’t need to fall out with the librarian over this because I know I am still a good person.

If it was a non school library she would have had to pay a fine for each day it is late.

how late was the book?

If it was me when I was at school it would certainly put me off using the library again.and that is not the way to go.

An email or message should have been the first step a detention is over the top.

Our council libraries haven't issued fines for years now.

Sounds like the new librarian is going to put a lot of kids off from using the library.

So the kids won’t borrow books now due to fear of a detention. Crazy.

Just have her do the detention and move on.

It’s not some great miscarriage of justice.

If it was a non school library she would have had to pay a fine for each day it is late

Children don't pay fines for children's books in public libraries. They just wouldn't bother going, would they, if they had to pay out of their pocket money. It's the wrong way to get people reading.

Well she won’t do it again, so that one detention which has caused her some inconvenience, will have had the desired effect. 🤷‍♀️

Ridiculous. Dreadful librarian.