My eldest son was a rather precocious reader. Sonny Boy was starting to sound out words before kindergarten, and reading picture books fluently by the end of kindergarten. His early ability translated to a love of the written word and a reading ability well above his age.
First grade brought with it the emergence of the reading log. This dreaded requirement to read 20 minutes a day and log it down was a pain. To be honest I didn't push it and simply signed off on it. Sonny Boy may not read the required 20 minutes on Mon -Thurs but I knew he would more than make up for it when he settled with a book for four hours on Saturday afternoon. The reading logs through 4th grade were much the same and while I didn't theoretically approve of them it wasn't really an issue and I didn't feel bad when I signed the logs.
Fifth grade has thrown a wrench in the system. This year the reading logs have become more detailed, not only requiring that he log down how long he read but what he read, which pages and a weekly summary of the material. This is also signed by yours truly. This log is turned in the first of the month and is graded on the amount of time he logs. Needless to say this log is a monthly battle. Sonny Boy reads well above the required amount of reading time but forcing him to record it takes all the joy out of it. What was once an enjoyable pass time that mom not only approves of but actually urges him to do has become just another homework chore.
I have seriously thought about telling the teacher to stuff her reading log but of course I can't do that. I fill Sonny Boy with platitudes about buckling down and doing work that you don't really want to do, etc etc but it breaks my heart to watch him put off reading because he will have to remember what pages he read instead of just enjoying the story.
Reading logs are evil.
WINNIE'S LITTER Just a little blog of the ins and outs and ups and downs in the life of a mom.
1 comment:
I think letting the teacher know that it is a struggle for you to get him to record it, and that it is taking that joy out of it for him would be a good idea.
Perhaps you could propose another way for him to demonstrate his learning? Most teachers will accept anything that legitimately shows the student's learning. Something like a stop-motion video would take your son way longer to do than to simply write it down, but if he enjoys it and it is less like tooth-pulling, might be worth a shot?
Of course, some teachers are pretty set in their ways... (though I do not at all bash her methods... in grade school I loved reading but especially when I had to record it).
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