This is the sixth post by FedUp Mom, the mother of a fifth grader. FedUp Mom’s daughter used to attend a public school in suburban Philadelphia, but this year FedUp Mom moved her to a private Quaker school, hoping for a more relaxed environment. You can read her other posts here, here, here, here and here.
I Hate Reading Logs
by FedUp Mom
Every time I think we’ve solved the school problem something comes along to bite me in the rear. This week it’s the dreaded reading log. We found out about it from a letter the teachers sent home:
“Your child will be expected to read every night. We ask that you sign the log each night … We will also check the log regularly, in order to ensure follow through on your child’s part… Please sign the form below and return it to school tomorrow with your child.”
And now, the fun part:
“Thank you for your partnership in your child’s education.” (!)
And how does following the teacher’s directions make me a partner exactly? I feel more like an unpaid employee. Wait a minute — we’re paying them!
There was a little form at the bottom of the letter that said:
“I have read the above letter and agree to help my child by signing his/her log each night.”
I crossed this out and wrote in:
“We trust our daughter to do her reading.”
Then we signed it.
Then we sent the following e-mail to the teacher:
Teacher X: we have chosen not to participate in the reading log. We’ve experienced reading logs before and have these objections:
1.) They turn reading into a chore.
2.) They send a message that we don’t trust (daughter) to do the reading without meddling and micromanaging.
(Daughter) will do the reading she needs to do, but she won’t be logging the pages. Thank you.
I’m hoping that will be the end of it. I’m really tired of conferences and I’m sure we all have better things to do with our time.
Stop Homework 
Also, Ms. Bennet. I would like you to know that your book, “The Case Against Homework,” came highly recommended in one of my classes and was the subject of many lively debates. It now sits next to my J. Dewey books.
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Jessica, you’re right…the teachers’ education system in this country is a mess.
My school system compounds the problem by only hiring teachers from a small number of area colleges therefore ensuring that no new ideas ever get introduced and leading to exactly what you’d expect from large-scale inbreeding.
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So teachers — there’s so much talk about the right and wrong ways to teach. Are there proven programs with outstanding results across the board, or haven’t they been found yet? Can a teacher who is forced to use a district specified program still get the results demanded, or is the problem the inability (due to time, $ and personnel) to provide teaching which is more narrowly tailored to each individual child? We all want the best education for our kids, and many of us can’t afford private school or home schooling. If an hour of homework every night and a reading log are truly the best way to establish a foundation for future academics, we’ll be with them to make sure they do it. But how do we know if the programs mandated by the District are just wasting years of their young lives?
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Not taking anything away from your question, which is a valid one Nancy, I wonder if teachers are even able to answer that question. If a factory is supposed to turn out blue widgets, then the only thing the factory workers can tell you is perhaps how to make bluer widgets. Bigger widgets that are still blue….smaller widgets….but only widgets.
That’s what I hear now….the solution is to give them more school, longer hours, more homework, more tests…make them bluer. But it doesn’t matter if the widgets are bluer if widgets are really not what’s needed anymore. “Future academics” may be the wrong goal entirely. And only we as a society can answer the question: “What are schools supposed to do?”
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Psych Mom- Great analogy. I agree that teachers aren’t the best people to answer the question re: what is a great education. They cannot seem to get beyond the control issue for one. In other words, their answers usually boil down to “if I had a better method to control the kids who aren’t engaged I could do a better job teaching the good students.” Further, the parents (mothers) who seem most “involved” in the school system today are those who most relish the status quo.
So, with hyper-involved parents who guard against change and teachers who equate more control with better teaching methods it’s no wonder no real change ever comes about.
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Thanks Disillusioned….Thank heavens there are parents like us who can see that the Emperor has no clothes on.
Many ,many years ago Gary Larson and his FarSide comic strip had a one panelled cartoon of a sheep standing up on his hind legs amongst his fellow sheep and indignantly saying, “What are we?……Sheep?”
Baaaaa.
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Not all of us teachers equate control with quality. Please do not lump us all into a group and then get mad when some do it to the students. I take offense to your assumption of my beliefs regarding classroom management and quality education.
You want to know what I think a “quality education” means? I think quality education is re-instilling in individuals the natural curiosity we were all born with. I think that a quality education gives learners the tools they need to succeed in any number of societies. I think that, despite the ridiculous system in which I am required to work, I can put in the time and effort to differentiate my instruction so that the “gifted” students have authentic assignments, the “average” students are challenged in ways that create a sense of true accomplishment, and the students who “need more help” are encouraged to think not in terms of their limitations, but in terms of their ability.
I wonder what happened to you to make such a negative sweeping generalization of myself and my friends an colleagues. I am not a parent, but I am a daughter, a big sister, and a teacher. I love your kids and care about your kids and I am a teacher not because I couldn’t “be” something…but because I am willing to put up with the hate and the sweeping generalizations to do my best to help your children become healthy, intelligent, and conscientious adults.
I ask for you to be more specific in labeling of bad teachers. Believe it or not, we are not all incompetent idiots.
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I love how people feel that they know what is best for a child’s education more so than a teacher. Just curious…do you go to your doctor and tell him how to handle your health needs?
The problem with schools today is not the teachers, its the parents. Most parents do not want to be bothered with anything school related. They want to be their child’s friend, and make their life as happy as possible. Therefore, when their child comes home complaining about homework, parents feel they should complain as well because they hate seeing their child soooooo upset! Let me guess, your child would never do anything wrong either, right? So if the teacher calls to inform you of a problem at school, I’m sure you will support your child before backing up the teacher???
When I was a child, I had homework, if not more. Every night, my parents sat down with me and never COMPLAINED! They didn’t even complain to the teacher. SHOCKER…I KNOW! They just knew that was their job as a parent. But here is the issue. For every parent that does not want homework, you have two more parents who are asking for more. Therefore, as a teacher you try to balance it out so that you make everyone happy. Also, personally, I do not look at homework as a way to reinforce what is being done in the classroom. It is more to teach these students responsiblity. Many students now a days do not have any responsibility at home. If your child does, good for you! Homework, not only holds them accountable for something, but it also teaches them how to organize and prioritize things. Aren’t these good life skills? Last I knew, many jobs today require you to do “work” outside of the typcial work day. Are you going to call your child’s boss one day and say they won’t be doing their work tonight because they don’t want to?
Now, in regards to your reading log post. People, its a reading log. I could understand if it was asking the child to write about what they read, but its just asking for the book title, the pages read, and the parent signature. Doesn’t seem like a HUGE expectation to me???? I understand your concern that you feel you trust your child to read each night, so why must you sign it. I get that. HOWEVER…YOUR CHILD IS NOT THE ONLY CHILD IN THE CLASS! NEWSFLASH….some kids will not be truthful and say they read when they didn’t.
In my own classroom, I have never made it a homework assignment to read. Although, this year I am. More and more I am finding that kids do not read at home. Although, I have those that do (which is great), I have many that WOULD NEVER pick up a book and read unless they had too. Therefore, for those kids that have always read, its no big deal. It is just forcing those students who don’t, to pick up a book. In fact, when deciding on doing this assignment, I called a parent (who is a typical helicopter parent) from a previous year to ask if they thought this requirement was too much on top of everything else. This was her reponse….”I wish you had done this when my child was in your classroom.” In addition, I will be using a reading log for two reasons. One it will help the child keep track of what was read, but it will also help for when I sit down with the child each week and discuss what they had read.
Let me leave you with this one last note. I DO NOT WORK FOR YOU…I WORK FOR YOU CHILD! Until you and many other parents realize this, there will always be problems. Parents shouldn’t be against the teacher. It should be a partnership. Together, we could help the child be successful.
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TeacherFirst says:
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The problem with schools today is not the teachers, its the parents.
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Yeah, thanks a lot. How does this improve the discussion?
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For every parent that does not want homework, you have two more parents who are asking for more. Therefore, as a teacher you try to balance it out so that you make everyone happy.
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Why don’t you let every family decide what works in their home? There’s no reason every student should have the exact same homework, any more than they should all do the exact same work at school. Parents have a right to determine their own home life.
You say yourself that your homework doesn’t actually teach anything, you just assign it so the child will be “responsible” (you mean “compliant”, as usual.) In other words, it’s an utter waste of time.
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Parents shouldn’t be against the teacher.
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Why should we be for you, when you label us as the problem?
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First off, who labeled who first? The whole reason for your blog is to “bash” how bad teachers are and how you have all the answers.
I love how you remark that my comment about the parents being the issue doesn’t improve the conversation? Is this because its against what you think? Parents like you, only want to hear their side of the story whether it is right or wrong. Well, this teacher is not a bobble head!
Also, I never once said my homework doesn’t teach anything. OF COURSE it reinforces what was learned in the classroom. However, my primary focus is not for that. It is to teach responsiblity. DO NOT put words in my mouth. But thats right, you hear what you want to hear, or in this case read what you want to read. Plus, parents need to realize that school goes well beyond the typcial school day. Increasing state standards have required more of the child today. Therefore, this requires them to put forth more work outside of the school day. There is only so much that can get done with the child at school.
I think its a little ridiculous for you to suggest that each child should get different homework. Yes, each child is different and requires different teaching styles. This is called differentiated instruction. But you probably knew this, since you have all the answers. HOWEVER, it is not fair that some students are held accountable for some things and other students are not. Explain that to a child. If this is seriously what you want, then home school your child.
Also, I highly doubt that your child’s teacher’s goal is to determine your home life. Again, that is how you perceive it, so it MUST be true, right??? Nevertheess, if you didn’t want to deal with school, then why did you have a child in the first place. Clearly, you just don’t want to be bothered. School is the child’s job. Like I said before, as every other job requires work outside of the “office” so does school. Why is this unreasonable? This is what life is. Unless, you have been fortunate enough to be given life on a silver platter, most people have to work for what they have. When is the child going to learn this? When they are 25? Doubtful. This is why many kids today grow up expecting everything to be handed to them. They don’t know how to work for anything because their parents do not make them.
Most teachers want the best for his or her students. They want them to succeed and do everything they can to make that happen, whether it is spending their own money to purchase resources or putting in numerous hours of planning and crafting engaging lessons (which, before you put words in my mouth, i’m not complaining about). This is why I say it needs to be a parntership and not parent against teacher. Nor do I feel it should be teacher against parent. However, when a parent questions EVERYTHING a teacher does (such as a reading log), how are the parents not the problem? Please explain to me how a reading log, as you say, “determines your home life?” Seems to be that you set very low expectations for yourself and your child.
I leave you with this. If you feel you have all the answers to this “problem,” then how come you don’t become a teacher yourself? If we are all doing such a terrible job, please show us how to do it.
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We don’t need to do your jobs, teachers. We’ve got our hands full being parents and full time employees in our own lines of work, and protecting our homelife from the encroachment of school. And please, don’t accuse me of being a neglectful parent just because I won’t do what you say.
And no, most of us work very hard to keep our work lives out of our homelife. I have no intention of teaching my children that it’s OK to bring work home. It isn’t. It’s unhealthy. If adults, (like teachers) decide that their hours of work can be whatever they want…that’s fine…But for adults to insist that children work after hours because it’s “good for them”…show me the proof that it’s good for them.
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Wow. I lost count of the sweeping generalizations and assumptions in the comments above from TeacherFirst.
Thankfully, I know he or she does not speak for all teachers.
The defensive, unreasoned, repetitive, close-minded and hostile, uncivil remarks — not to mention the sheer ignorance of the fact that those excuses some teachers give for assigning reading logs have been discussed ad nauseum above — are truly alarming if the writer is in fact a teacher. Really, consulting someone dismissed as a “helicopter parent” about what homework to assign?
Altogether, ,just breathtakingly arrogant.
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To Parent in Mass…
What happens is that they mostly just read the opening post and never read all the commentary that’s been going on for years now. Every once in a while a teacher will find this blog and explode and then go away again, dismissing parents as a group. Fortunately, sometimes a teacher will find us, take the trouble to read through all the comments and actually think about the topic and take a second look at whether reading logs are really the way to go. If just a couple of people do that, then it’s all worth it. Sometimes a parent will recognize too that they don’t have to go along with everything coming down from the teacher and they’ll make changes for their family. That’s worth it too…
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I think its funny how I am ignorant because I don’t agree with you. The simple fact is, you are looking for someone to agree wiith everything you say. Again, I’m not a bobble head.
However, you yet again put words in my mouth by saying that I said you neglected your child. I don’t believe those words ever came out of my mouth. I’m sure you are a wonderful, caring parent, but I also think you are unrealistic to think your child shouldn’t have to do any “work” outside of their day. On an average day, my students have a half hour (if not less) of homework a night. I do not feel that is an unreasonable amount, nor do I feel this “determines the home life”. It’s enough to hold them accountable for something, yet not too much that it monopolizes their time at home. Family time is just as important. What I find even more funny, is that parents always complain about homework because it takes away from the home life, yet they never once complain about having 2 hours worth of dance practice or football practice. Isn’t this taking away from the home life?
Again, I’ll say this. The problem in America today is everyone wants everything handed to them. They do not want to work for it. When I was younger, of course I did not like homework. However, my parents (who are well educated adults) always taught me that in life you have to work for what you want and that you might be faced with things that you DON”T like; however, you have to learn to deal with them. Your not going to like everything in life. They didn’t call the teacher and complain. Just like in my job, are there things I am required to do by my principal that I do not like…OF COURSE. However, am I going to complain about them and not do them. NO! This is why kids today do not know how to deal with problems. Mommy and Daddy always “come to the rescue.” Parents today hate to see their child disappointed, and personally that is only setting up the child to fail in life. Sometimes the best lessons in life come from situations where we are faced with a problem.
I also think its laughable that you say you work hard to keep your work life out of your home life. Would it be great if we all could leave our job and not have to think about it untl the next day? Definitely. However, that is again not realistic. Most jobs today require work outside of the office. Perfect example…a teacher. I have a family, but I still have to grade papers, fill out paperwork, call parents, create lessons, respond to e-mails, oh and help do homework. Do I love having to do this, NO! Do I complain about it, NO! Its part of the job that I love doing! Hope your child never wants to be a teacher!
In response to your comment about showing proof that homework helps, well it helps in a few ways. Again, it teaches students responsiblity, organization, and time management. It also definitely helps them to review what was learned that day in school. On several occassions in my own class, I have found that the child retains more; therefore, allowing them to be an active participant in class. For every article that you find against homework, I can find one to support it. Do I feel that their should be 2 hours of homework a night…of course not. But I do not feel a little is an awful thing. Again, you just don’t want to be bothered by it. I’m sure you all work very hard at your job; but it is YOUR CHILD. Just because you may have to sit with your child to help with homework, does not mean your doing the teachers job….please! It is funny to think though that you complain about finding the time to sit with your child and do homework, yet you have no problem finding the time to blog about how much you hate it..haha! Question though: Why is the child’s homework your issue in the first place? HOLD YOUR CHILD RESPONSIBLE! It’s their homework.
I think its funny how you fail to respond to many of my points. You find the one or two points you feel you can comment on and you address those. Therefore, I’ll ask you again: How is it fair to give each child different homework? How does a reading log determine the household, and if you feel we are all doing so bad and that you have all the answers, then why don’t you become a teacher and show us all how its done?
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“How is it fair to give each child different homework? ”
I’m not quite sure what “fair” has to do with it. Each child should have a customized learning program. As I’m opposed to all homework in elementary school, the issue of fairness is moot. Nobody gets any. But if teachers insist..then homework should be given as extra help to students who need it. IF you think it’s unfair to give to only some students, then you are admitting that it’s a punishment…something no one wants to do. I would not see it that way. I would see it as an extra help to the kids who need it.
“How does a reading log determine the household”
I don’t know what this is supposed to mean. But I’ll guess you mean, “how does homework interfere with homelife?” I have roughly 2 hours each night to spend with my child. No where in my plan is school work a part of it. So when my child comes home and says “You have to help me with this, the teacher says”, I get my back up. The teacher could have called me and asked me….not put a youngster up to it. Why should children have to coral their parents? Homework is not how I want my time spent….nor my child’s after she’s been at school for 9 hours.
Lastly, I don’t want your job…I’m just asking questions. Am I not allowed?
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” Why is the child’s homework your issue in the first place? HOLD YOUR CHILD RESPONSIBLE! It’s their homework. ”
If only it were so. Homework in the elementary grades is often unintelligible to the kids. They try, but they don’t know what to do. Or they’ve forgotten or they are just too tired to focus any more. Homework often says, “Have a family member help you do x,y and z……..” In the case of reading logs..instructions can say, (to the parent, not the child), “please check that your child has done such and such… and then sign.” All of this happens in my home…I did not agree to do this and I don’t want my young child feeling this pressure when she’s already been in school for 9 hours.
Sorry teacher, my house, my rules.
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TeacherFirst asks:
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How is it fair to give each child different homework?
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What makes you think it’s fair to give every child the same homework? It will be too easy for some kids and too difficult for others. Some kids will rip through it in 15 minutes, while others will wreck the entire evening worrying about it. Some kids will experience minimal stress, while others will have major anxiety problems. Kids are highly variable human beings, not interchangeable widgets.
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Again, it teaches students responsiblity, organization, and time management.
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Homework teaches none of these things. If anything, it teaches kids to rush through busywork with as little effort as possible.
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Question though: Why is the child’s homework your issue in the first place?
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Homework is my issue because it is an invasion of my home life.
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For every article that you find against homework, I can find one to support it.
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Oh yeah? Why don’t you send in links to the well-researched, scholarly articles that support homework, and let us decide?
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It is funny to think though that you complain about finding the time to sit with your child and do homework,
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I’m not opposed to spending time with my kids, I’m opposed to bad practices like reading logs that do nothing but make my child dislike reading. You’d know that if you paid attention to the original post.
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First of all, do not tell me that homework does not teach students responsibility, organization, and time management. I have seen it teach these things first hand in my own classroom. In fact, I had a lovely conversation with a few of my parents just the other day telling me how amazed they are with how organized their child is this year, and how they are learning how to prioritize their school work with their personal life so well…hmm…guess it doesn’t teach anything huh?
Also, I don’t recall every saying that I give my students the EXACT SAME HOMEWORK. I modify their work all the time to fit their needs. What I was saying is it is not fair that one student gets hoemwork and the other doesn’t. Again, in no way shape or form does this indicate that I see homework as a punishment either. This is another one of your assumptions! I did love how PsychMom said “homework” is something no one wants to do. What a great lesson to teach your child. In life when you don’t want to do something, you don’t have to even if you are required to do it. I would love to see how that would go over with my boss or even your boss.
In regards to the comment about reading logs determining the household: You said yourself that a reading log takes away from the homelife. HOW???? It takes 3 seconds to complete Seriously, how does that take away from your home life? Again, a reading log is helpful for when the child and I sit down to talk about what they read. It provides the teacher with information regarding their fluency, and it helps to keep the child focused on what they are reading. NOT ONE of my students are complaining about having to fill out a reading log. In fact, as I was going over how to complete it, one of my students asked “is that all we have to do…thats easy. It will only take a couple seconds.” Man, a 10 year old can figure that out but you can’t? And don’t assume that I didn’t read the above comments, because I did!
In no way shape or form do I feel my homework takes away from family time. Nor do I feel my child’s homework takes away from our family time. Its a fact of life. In fact, I hardly even have to help my child with their work and they are an average student. It’s called teaching them responsibility and teaching them how to have a WORK ETHIC. In life you need to “work hard to play hard.” The problem today is that everyone wants to have fun but they do not want to work for it.
Homework is defintely apart of my classroom. However, I have NEVER had one parent complain about it. Do I have students that don’t want to do it at times, of course. However, last I knew, they were KIDS! As adults, our job is to not always make them “happy.” In fact, my students LOVE SCHOOL, even with the homework! SHOCKER!!!
Finally, as a parent, I think its wondeful that you ask questions. In fact, I encourage my parents too. However, what I don’t think is right is that you feel you can tell the teacher what they should be doing in his or her own classroom. Oh thats right, you think you can because as you say “we work for you.” Maybe if you realized that we don’t work for you and that we work for your child, we would listen more. Maybe if you didn’t call and complain about EVERYTHING you don’t like, then we would listen more. Maybe if you would LISTEN to the teacher and realize that they are not trying to “determine your home life,” they would listen more.
So, parent, my classroom, my rules!
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TeacherFirst,
As a fellow teacher, I’m embarrassed at your outrage towards these parents. To me, the purpose of this blog seems to be a venue for giving another side to the homework dilema. There is much research to support both sides of the argument, but I don’t see a need to get angry about it. On the contrary, I find the opinions and research of these parents informative. It’s interesting to me to hear other viewpoints, especially since I don’t have children of my own yet. While I don’t necessarily agree with all the posts in the blog, I appreciate the opinions of the authors.
To respond to one of your quotes:
“However, what I don’t think is right is that you feel you can tell the teacher what they should be doing in his or her own classroom.”
I think the parents writing here would say that by assigning homework we as teachers are dictating what they do in their own homes. If we are upset when onlookers tell us how to act in our classroom, don’t they have a right to be upset when others tell them how to handle things at home?
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TeacherFirst says:
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In no way shape or form do I feel my homework takes away from family time.
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This isn’t your call to make. If I say homework takes away from my family life, that means homework take away from my family life. Other families may have different experiences, but I’m telling you what my family’s experience has been. It’s not a debatable point.
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It takes 3 seconds to complete
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As I’ve said several times already, the problem with the reading log is not the time that it takes, but the psychological toll. It sets up a negative dynamic between me and my child and makes my child dislike reading. It’s not worth it.
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In fact, I had a lovely conversation with a few of my parents just the other day telling me how amazed they are with how organized their child is this year
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You have selective hearing. You only listen to people who agree with you.
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In fact, my students LOVE SCHOOL, even with the homework!
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How do you know? You don’t know what’s going on inside the kids’ heads. When my daughter was profoundly depressed in school, not one of her teachers figured it out. They thought she was “quiet”.
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So, parent, my classroom, my rules!
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When I objected to the reading log, I wasn’t objecting to what the teacher did in the classroom, I was objecting to what she told me to do with my own child in my own home. My home, my rules. Get it?
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I think its wondeful that you ask questions.
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You hardly encourage questions when you announce that the problem with school is the parents.
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we don’t work for you and that we work for your child
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Parents and children are not divisible. Teachers should not be for the kids and against the parents.
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“I did love how PsychMom said “homework” is something no one wants to do.”
To TeacherFirst: If you’re saying it’s unfair for one child to get homework and not everyone then it must not be something anyone would want to do. If you polled any classroom of students in public school and asked what’s the least favourite thing in their school life…I would bet alot of money that they would say “homework”. Hands down.
And quite frankly I do not think that young children need to learn how to WORK. They are not adults. They do not need to learn responsibility, organizational skills and downright obedience from homework either. There are dozens of other ways for children to learn how to be responsible and they don’t need to do it all before they’re 10. Broken record time: organizational and planning skills are a function of the frontal lobes in the brain and they do not fully engage until young adulthood. And kids don’t learn to be organized because of school. It’s forced on them and they are punished if they don’t comply. Some kids are more sensitive to the punishment and they will nicely fall in line. But it’s still a developmental process just like walking, and talking. If you’ve mentioned what grade you teach I’ve forgotten, but these demands for 8 year olds to be time self-managed and organized are just plain unrealistic. Only some of them will be able to do it reliably.
And as for your repeated (over and over and over) claim that we are telling you how to teach in your classroom…we are not. You are apparently able to do whatever you please from 9 til 3. What I and other’s are saying is that your reach ends there. You have no right to send work home for me or my child to do in our off hours and expect it to be done.
I’m working very hard to have homework become a thing of the past, just like the strap is a thing of the past, forcing kids to write with their right hand if they are left handed, not allowing girls to wear slacks or pants to school, and all those silly, outdated, ridiculous habits of the past. That’s where homework belongs.
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When I read tired rants like the one from TeacherFirst, it always makes me think that teaching should not be a lifelong profession. The anger and hostility she displays in her writing have made her unable to “hear” what anyone is truly trying to say. When I read these posts from teachers, again. it gives me litttle hope that the status quo will ever change. An organization is usually made up of like minded individuals (especially buracracies).
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One other point. TeacherFirst made an analogy (as many teachers do) to a boss in a work environement. Yes, many jobs have deadlines. However, if a boss were to fill ten hours a day with pointless paperwork and then demand you take it all home if you didn’t finish it within eight hours; I think most people would be looking for another job.
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Sorry, a few more things. TeacherFirst, the school day is usally 9-3. That is six hours with a break for lunch. You stated that you bring work home after school. Do you leave at 3:00? Shouldn’t you be at school until at least 5:00 p.m.? At my children’s school, the parking lot is empty at 4:00. If you bring work home instead of doing it in the classroom when your students are dismissed, your job as more latittude then most people’s jobs (who cannot leave two hours early and do the wrok at home). Again, I am struck by the hypocrisy of your position.
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Hi Disillusioned,
I’m discouraged by the spelling and grammar mistakes that we see from many of the teachers who write a message. I’m discouraged by the lack of a cogent arguement and the repetition of unrelated points that simply are repeated because the teacher thinks her personal upbringing is relevant.
It just all reinforces my belief that teachers cling to tradition and myth to justify not changing what goes on in schools today. If that fails for them then they go one of two ways: Blame somebody else, or scream that they’re being attacked.
A couple of teachers have said, Mmmm..hold on…let’s look at the research. Let’s look at what parents are saying. Let’s consider that it’s not 1965 anymore and life has changed dramatically. Let’s consider that children are under EXTREME pressure these days at ever younger ages. What is the role of a teacher? What is the role of school? I could talk with those teachers all day long.
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Hi Psych Mom,
Very astute. I have a feeling that many of the teachers who rant and rave are older and have nostalgic ideals regarding children, respect, personal freedom, etc.
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I really haven’t noticed that much difference between younger and older teachers. Granted, a few of the older ones have been the classic “coasting to retirement” types, but I’ve seen as many progressive, technologically advanced older teachers as I’ve seen younger clueless, rigid technophobes, if not more.
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A few more points…although I think two hours of dance or football practice in elementary school is excessive; it is still a choice the family has made (although many parents do push their kids into after school activities). However, they are not spending six to eight hours a day at football or dance school and then going home to practice another two hours after dance or football school.
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FedUpMom had asked me a while ago to update this blog community about the optional reading logs I gave this year. Parents had the opportunity to choose if their child got one or didn’t.
So far it’s going great! I enjoy not fighting with kids about whether or not their reading log is done. About 10 parents opted for the logs in the beginning. Two parents saw their child reading every day and decided the log was no longer needed. I also had a student who requested a log! He wanted to do one, so I gave him a copy. It’s pretty incredible what can happen when you give kids and parents choices.
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Curious Teacher, thanks for the update. It’s good to hear from you.
Choice is such a good idea. It’s a mystery to me why more schools don’t let parents choose what homework they want their kids to do. It would make everybody’s lives easier, and if anything, probably increase the dreaded test scores.
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FedUpMom:
Many teachers probably don’t openly provide a choice because they are afraid some parents will opt out of homework simply to save themselves some effort. Many teachers might “secretly” agree to choice if specific parents bring it up, and it’s clear that the students involved understand the material and are getting their reading in anyway.
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Nancy,
In all honesty, I feel like the parents in my class this year were honest. The ones who chose to have reading logs are parents of struggling readers or children who don’t enjoy reading. The ones who opted out of the logs have children who would read all day if I let them. I don’t know what home is like, but from what I see in school it was pretty accurate.
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I agree with the fact that reading logs make reading seem like a chore, however, as a teacher, they do help us a bit with keeping the children on task. You have to try and look at it from both sides of the spectrum. I’m 26 years old, and do feel that there are various old-fashioned learning tools that we are still using that could perhaps be tweaked. The beauty of just reading is dwindling, which is why (and I know a lot of English teachers I work with do this) in class we do more than just check the reading log and the parents’ signature. I sit with them on the floor, open up the book and read to them, and then have them read to me. We discuss the book, and they ask questions. I show them pictures if there’s any word they may not understand (English is their second language). Reading is made into a fun experience.
Reading logs are not fun, or the best invention ever, they’re just a necessity for large classrooms. I don’t believe it’s as dramatic as saying you don’t trust your child, or that you’re an unpaid worker. The child actually assumes responsibility by knowing they must do something on a daily basis and showing you, the parent, “Hey, Mom, I’m responsible.” A signature is hardly any work. If you trust your child, you know they will do the reading and come to you for your initials and that’s that. Being involved in your child’s educational career is hardly disrespect or mistrust on your part. It DOES take both home and school to mold a child into a an experienced, curious, and knowledge-thirsty person.
I don’t know what kind of teacher your child has or what school she goes to, but the last thing I believe we need is negativity and complaints. I’m more that positive that your child is trustworthy since you feel so strongly about this, however, try to play devil’s advocate and see that it may not be so bad or so horrible to sign a piece of paper.
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I am a public educator in a very low poverty area. First, I think it is wonderful that your daughter enjoys reading and will do it on a natural basis, without having to be coaxed, bribed, and/or threatened. Second, I think it is truly magnificant that you – the parent – trust your child to do her work diligently and do not want to harbor the idea that reading should be a chore, but a relaxing and adventurous journey that can take your daughter to wonderful and imaginative places!
Now, having said that… you must remember that all parents are not like you. I have students who come to me with parents who work third shift, are never home, could care less what their children do, dump them off at school without breakfast, without socks on their feet, without having bathed in four or five days, and my district (the government, per say) says I have to teach these poor children who have nothing on their mind but where their next meal is coming from and whether or not mommy or daddy is coming to get them. The problem does not lie in the teachers who are trying to do their job by holding parents accountable, and students accountable for that matter, the issue lies in the system that continues to fail the teachers – and the parents and students – who are truly trying to make a difference.
I am not condoning the actions of some teachers out there, but please remember that for every bad apple in the bunch, there are hundreds other that are juicy and ripe for the picking! 🙂
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Anonymous says:
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The beauty of just reading is dwindling,
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Anonymous, why do you think that is? Maybe it’s those reading logs that you say yourself are “not fun”. It’s not enough to try to make it fun again at school, after you’ve wrecked the child’s experience of reading at home.
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The child actually assumes responsibility by knowing they must do something on a daily basis and showing you, the parent, “Hey, Mom, I’m responsible.”
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No, the child forgets all about it until Mom starts nagging. Then they start up on the procrastination cycle. Everyone winds up aggravated. You’ve got some fantasy about what goes on at home. It’s nothing like the reality.
Please take a look at my master list of anti-reading-log articles and blog posts:
http://kidfriendlyschools.blogspot.com/2010/08/join-chorus-against-reading-logs.html
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Carrie says:
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I have students who come to me with parents who work third shift, are never home, could care less what their children do,
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And you send those students home with a reading log that requires a parent signature? It’s not fair to tell these kids they have to get a signature from an overworked, absent, possibly abusive parent. And then you scold or punish them at school because they didn’t get the signature, right? First they get stuck with a bad home life, then they get punished by you because of their bad home life! That’s crazy!
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“The problem does not lie with the teachers who are trying to hold the parents and students accountable.” As a matter of fact, that is part of the problem. Again, why is it your job to teach accountability to adult parents of your students? It is very sad that you have students whose home life is not secure and happy. However, your job shouldn’t encompass teaching “responsiblilty” to adults whose children are in your classroom. This is a recipe for frustration on everyone’s part. If you were to re-frame your perspective,focusing on having your students learn to read within the confines of your classrooom it would leave everyone (including students) less frustrated.
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I am currently a special ed teacher and have just finished with my parent-teacher night. I experienced an overwhelming amount of “Can you make the homework harder? Can you give them more?” I had to explain to the parents that the homework I give is basically to keep ideas fresh in the students minds and to show parents what their child can do. I have done away with home book logs, but I do ask that they read before bed, or try to, as a family. I do not believe that homework or reading for school should last beyond 15 minutes. I have the opposite problem, where parents want so badly for their kids to think like everyone else that they believe giving them hours of homework will help.
There is a lot of anger on this thread, and while I see both sides, I really think that it takes two to tango. I am lucky because I have at least 6 out of 8 parents who will work with me and vice versa to help their student succeed to the best of their current ability. As for the other students, I teach what I can in school, from responsibility to academics, and hope that one day they will gain something from it, even if it is not reinforced in the home.
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I appreciate this site as a mom whose children used to attend public school. We did everything to “make it work” and even went to the school superintendant with our concerns. It is true that if a mom speaks up for her child or has any concerns she is labled “that Mom.” We met a college professer one day at a park with his homeschooled children. He spoke to us about why we needed to get out children out of public school. He could tell homeschooled children from public school “people pleasing drones” right away. His daughter apolized to my children that they were “institutionalized.” We love homeschooling and miss nothing about our public school experiences. If a public school teacher is reading this, I understand you have a demanding job and you may very well do your best to give the child a good education with the unrealistic expectations from your supervisors. ing. If someone reads this who is considering homeschooling, go for it. We aren’t wealthy and manage to make homeschooling work because it is wonderful and worthwhile. We offically “gave up on” public school because is “broken.”
Homeschooling fan : )
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You all have such wonderful comments and ideas. Why don’t you become teachers??? Youa re exactly what our country needs!
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Hello concerned parents and teachers and the like. I just wanted to say something, you know, put my voice in as a student. I’m only 14 and I had very prejudiced views on your discussion before I read it.
I believe that things like reading logs are somthing to be discussed in a quieter tone. I, for one, have no problem with them now. I think that maybe you should thank about it with three views,
As a Student
A Teacher
and A Parent.
A student sees it as a hassle. A job that just has to be done whether you want to or not. Though, at our school it is a chance for reward. Our teacher takes them up, and anyone who has turned it in gets a piece of gum or a sucker, and those who didn’t, leave empty-handed.
Now look through the eyes of a teacher. You have to take them up, give them out, grade them, and add them as a grade. This isn’t your choice. You just need more grades in the grade book so that people are happier with thier child’s grades. Not to mention the county office will be at your door if you don’t “teach” properly. You have to go through the job of making sure every child has the education to get them the next step of the way.THen you have to deal with parents who complain to you if their child doesn’t have the learning capability that they want him/her to have.
Now view it as a parent. You have to sign the reading log and make sure that they actually do it. Or you can do it the way my mother does. She tells me and my sister that she knows we read all the time so if we don’t do our reading logs correctly she will sign them anyway and won’t care if we just make them up. Then you have to worry about making sure they turn in all their other home work and that they did it correctly. You feel as though it is your responsiblilty to make sure your child does their homework.
My mom says it best, (to a child) “It’s your responsibility to get the work done and to make sure that you know everything you need to know to get it done,” If you feel like your child doesn’t need to do the reading logs then stop worring about them. THey aren’t the problem. They are for another time. Work with the places where the child isn’t good at. Like if they are horrible at math then work with them at that! If they are the biggest reader that you know, then let them read until they go CRAZY and reading logs will become less of a hassle because you can just quickly go and grab a book they have read and use that. Yes, they might not have read that this time but they have read it before!
And to teachers? You work with those who need the help. And if you feel guilty that you can’t work with the ones that are great? Then maybe, give them a little bit harder work. Challenge them! Make that your day’s task. To challenge the one’s that challenge you.
I hope that this isn’t judging and that it helps solve at least SOME of your problems. If it did, keep in mind. A 14 year old helped. Ask your kids. They’re not as unobservant as you may think. They could be a big help. 🙂
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oh and I just wanted to add, I didn’t read all of this so if you aren’t even on the topic of reading logs anymore… well sorry!! And if you’ve already resolved your issues I’m sorry as well!
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you all are retarded
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There’s a lot of hate here.
It seems like it’s parents vs. teachers. For kids to reach their potential, it’s really parents and teachers working together.
We teach kids not to hate and be disrespectful to others. This site is dripping with sarcasm and rudeness.
Stop hating.
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Thank-you very much for helping me to decided to throw away my four-year Private College education and Not become a teacher…
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It’s interesting to me that as a society we want to hold teachers accountable for student progress but balk at the idea that parents should play a part in the education of their own child because that’s “the teacher’s job” or everything should be done at school. Really? 30 or more kids in a classroom and each child is going to get instruction, correction and time to work in all subjects plus extra curriculars (ie band , art, gym). The idea that you can just trust a kid to do their work is funny. While your child might do that, there are more that will not. Should teachers leave them to fail, fall betweent he cracks because a parent is dreading doing their part as a parent? If yoiu don’t like the reading log, why not look at what the objective is and work with the teacher rather than attacking and throwing down the gauntlet. I would have worked out a reading log that would have worked for my child and the teacher rather than creating an adversarial relationship. How does that help your child? I assume that your intent is to help the child and not yourself? When you fight battles, you only get bloody. When you work cooperatively, you achieve greatness. Be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
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FedUp you are insane! I am a 4th grade teacher and have been for some time now. I do not assign reading logs except over the holiday break. I understand that your perfect daughter may be accountable for her reading, but that does not mean every child in the class is. How are we supposed to how the children accountable for their reading when their parent does not support us? Homework is a necessary tool to learning. Yes- kids should be involved in extra curricular activities, however if they can’t handle balancing homework and activities, then they need to be pulled out. I have never heard of a teacher that gives no homework at all. It sounds ludicrous. Would we, as teachers, be preparing these kids for life if we did not give them tasks to complete at home? How will they survive high school, and college? What about in the work force when they become adults? With a lot of jobs, one does not finish everything at work. Sometimes things have to come home to finish. Do you work, did you go to college?? I am shocked at your comments about your teachers quote and response. As a teacher, one is just trying help children grow and learn! We became teachers because of our love of learning and children, but parents like you are the reason our education is going downhill!! Lastly- whomever said that parents are not responsible for their child’s learning, and that we get paid to teach your child. I literally laughed out loud, WHY DID YOU HAVE KIDS??? Obviously, you don’t want to take the time on them to help them complete homework assignments, and follow through with what a parent should do.
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“Homework is a necessary tool to learning.”
I live outside of the US and some teachers at the school I attend set little or no homework. I do not believe that my education has been hindered by this. In my maths class, my teacher only makes us do the questions we haven’t finished in class for homework, along with the occasional small booklet containing 3-4 pages (double sided) of maths questions, due back the next week. Next door, the maths teacher sets her class a lot of maths homework every night. All of the maths classes of the same grade at my school have to sit the same maths tests at the end of each topic. In these, my class usually gets similar or even higher results than the class next door, despite having had to do less homework. However, this is only really proof if you equate learning with test scores.
“I have never heard of a teacher that gives no homework at all. It sounds ludicrous.”
I have heard that in Finland and Denmark, there are strict no-homework policies and these countries tend to do better in literacy and numeracy than the United States.
“Would we, as teachers, be preparing these kids for life if we did not give them tasks to complete at home?”
In the country I live in, primary schools tend to give only a really small amount of homework- generally just one easy maths sheet due back the next week. High schools give a lot more, depending on which teachers you have and teachers give even more when you enter the final years of high school. Despite not having much homework during primary school, it seems that nearly everyone is able to adapt to cope with the increased burden. It may be that we are not burnt out from having had a lot of homework previously.
“With a lot of jobs, one does not finish everything at work. Sometimes things have to come home to finish.”
“Obviously, you don’t want to take the time on them to help them complete homework assignments, and follow through with what a parent should do.”
Perhaps the parents here went to work and had to bring things home to finish and they can’t finish those things while helping their children simultaneously?
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Anonymous says:
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I do not assign reading logs except over the holiday break.
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What part of “holiday break” do you not understand?
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How will they survive high school, and college? What about in the work force when they become adults?
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Anonymous, you teach 4th grade. High school, college and the work force are far in the future for your students. They have plenty of time ahead to figure out how to handle those stages of life.
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Anonymous says:
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How are we supposed to how the children accountable for their reading when their parent does not support us?
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Instead of holding children accountable, how about inspiring them for a change? I think you’d get better results.
Respectfully Disagree says:
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The idea that you can just trust a kid to do their work is funny. While your child might do that, there are more that will not. Should teachers leave them to fail, fall betweent he cracks because a parent is dreading doing their part as a parent?
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Respectfully, what makes you think that the reading log is *not* leaving a child to fail? Many reading logs are faked. The fact that the child turns in a signed, correctly filled out reading log means absolutely nothing about whether they’ve done the reading.
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If yoiu don’t like the reading log, why not look at what the objective is and work with the teacher
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The objective of this particular reading log was that my daughter should read the assigned book, and I made sure that she did. I believe I explained this in the original post.
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