What's the point of required reading?

So, what’s the move when you’re just grinding for a degree and a GPA—when actually knowing your stuff doesn't even seem to matter anymore? It feels like it's all about getting that stamp on the diploma and calling it a day.

driftingheron70 said:Is a first grader actually expected to grasp what they’re reading and answer comprehension questions about a story?

I mean, look at the reading list for first grade: things like >, >, or even >...

Is it even normal for a parent to read these books *to* their kid, basically putting on a little theatrical performance while explaining everything? Of course, the kid remembers all the juicy details because of that, but then when they try to read on their own, they struggle to remember anything because they're just decoding the words mechanically without actually processing them.

And I'm not just talking about my own daughter here—I'm looking at two-thirds or more of the kids in her class where the parents are doing all the heavy lifting by reading the stories aloud. The whole point of these assignments is for the kid to nail those worksheet questions, right? But you can't do that if you don't actually retain the plot. They aren't using these books as a way to practice reading skills; they're just treating them as a way to get the answers. They could practice actual reading anytime with any book, but they aren't using this as a tool for reading comprehension.

Sometimes I catch myself wondering if I'm just old-fashioned or stuck in my ways for thinking this should be the kid's responsibility. Am I just making things harder for my child by insisting she does the work herself? Honestly, I feel like this way of "reading" is totally backwards, but it's so incredibly common—it's what everyone else is doing—that it makes me wonder if I'm the one who's losing my mind.

Seems normal to me. 🤷 It's way easier to get them interested if you lean into it—do the voices, act a little goofy, make it a thing. Plus, as an adult, you can point out what matters or talk through what the author was getting at.

Eventually, they'll probably figure out how to read for actual comprehension on their own...

driftingheron70 said:Is a first grader actually expected to grasp what they’re reading and answer comprehension questions about a story?

I mean, look at the reading list for first grade: things like >, >, or even >...

Is it even normal for a parent to read these books *to* their kid, basically putting on a little theatrical performance while explaining everything? Of course, the kid remembers all the juicy details because of that, but then when they try to read on their own, they struggle to remember anything because they're just decoding the words mechanically without actually processing them.

And I'm not just talking about my own daughter here—I'm looking at two-thirds or more of the kids in her class where the parents are doing all the heavy lifting by reading the stories aloud. The whole point of these assignments is for the kid to nail those worksheet questions, right? But you can't do that if you don't actually retain the plot. They aren't using these books as a way to practice reading skills; they're just treating them as a way to get the answers. They could practice actual reading anytime with any book, but they aren't using this as a tool for reading comprehension.

Sometimes I catch myself wondering if I'm just old-fashioned or stuck in my ways for thinking this should be the kid's responsibility. Am I just making things harder for my child by insisting she does the work herself? Honestly, I feel like this way of "reading" is totally backwards, but it's so incredibly common—it's what everyone else is doing—that it makes me wonder if I'm the one who's losing my mind.

I couldn't agree with you more—I operate the exact same way. The assignment was given to the child; therefore, it is the child's job and obligation. I'll step in if they hit a wall, but the idea of me personally reading the entire book to my son or daughter and then answering the questions for them (writing out quotes or whatever else is required) never even crosses my mind.

BUT—the majority of today's "modern" parents (and I hate that term, even though they use it themselves to sound enlightened) seem to think assigned reading is just a tedious chore for kids that isn't strictly necessary. So, they end up reading it themselves or writing the reports just to take the load off their children 🙂 or they just print out some condensed version from the internet and stick to watching movies or cartoons if a film adaptation exists.

What really grates on my nerves, though, is seeing people write their book reports the very night before they're due to be discussed or reviewed in class. I've noticed other parents look at me like I'm some kind of idiot when I mention that my child finished their reading and wrote their report over the weekend—well before the deadline or the classroom discussion.

Check out this news clip:

Students are reading less and less, plus they aren't getting nearly enough English lit classes.

https://www.cnn.com/video/example-news-story-about-education-hours

Larry Walker24 said:Check out this news clip:

Students are reading less and less, plus they aren't getting nearly enough English lit classes.

https://www.cnn.com/video/example-news-story-about-education-hours

Five hours a week isn't enough? Please...

wanderinghawk30 said:Five hours a week isn't enough? Please...

Finc people get twelve hours a week. 😬

I think we probably have the lowest maternity pay rate in the entire European Union.

Dammit. 😬

:she only had five hours a week:

Anthony Ward6 said:Finc people get twelve hours a week. 😬

I think we probably have the lowest maternity pay rate in the entire European Union.

If we're looking at the rest of the European Union, we seem to have the lowest hourly rates for just about everything.
I don't know much about the Finnish system, but if they're only doing 12 hours a week, I assume their curriculum is structured differently, right? I highly doubt they're overloading those kids—though maybe I'm being too optimistic... 🤷

Sam Kim12 said:I couldn't agree with you more—I operate the exact same way. The assignment was given to the child; therefore, it is the child's job and obligation. I'll step in if they hit a wall, but the idea of me personally reading the entire book to my son or daughter and then answering the questions for them (writing out quotes or whatever else is required) never even crosses my mind.

BUT—the majority of today's "modern" parents (and I hate that term, even though they use it themselves to sound enlightened) seem to think assigned reading is just a tedious chore for kids that isn't strictly necessary. So, they end up reading it themselves or writing the reports just to take the load off their children 🙂 or they just print out some condensed version from the internet and stick to watching movies or cartoons if a film adaptation exists.

What really grates on my nerves, though, is seeing people write their book reports the very night before they're due to be discussed or reviewed in class. I've noticed other parents look at me like I'm some kind of idiot when I mention that my child finished their reading and wrote their report over the weekend—well before the deadline or the classroom discussion.

I get those judgmental looks from other parents whenever I don't know exactly when an assignment is due.
I'm sure some of them think I'm just being lazy, but honestly, the specific deadline doesn't matter much to me.
Personally, I think teachers should just create Facebook events for all the reading assignments so everyone stays on the same page.🧐

Susan James said:I get those judgmental looks from other parents whenever I don't know exactly when an assignment is due.
I'm sure some of them think I'm just being lazy, but honestly, the specific deadline doesn't matter much to me.
Personally, I think teachers should just create Facebook events for all the reading assignments so everyone stays on the same page.🧐

😉
The deadline matters—it's the only way to know when the window for reading and discussing the material actually closes.

My daughter's teacher didn't give a damn about specific dates during her first two years of elementary school. Back then, they handled assignments by just reading them in class and chatting about them—you know how those types of teachers are: all "let's just wander through *The Great Gatsby* or *Charlotte's Web* and see where we land." But now that she's in 3rd grade, everything has changed; there’s a hard deadline, and they tackle the books in three distinct ways: a test, a session in the school library with the librarian, and an in-class discussion plus a written summary in their notebooks following the teacher's exact instructions.😬

Richard Perez3 said:Dammit. 😬

Why?

Both suffixes actually exist in the language. Yours is just much less common, but there’s really no need to go around correcting people—especially not in a situation like this. Both versions show up in the linguistic corpus, though her way of doing it is far more frequent in everyday usage.

Honestly, there’s just no point in reading assigned school books to kids who are still actually trying to master the basics of reading. If they need help, read it along with them—it makes no difference if you have to lend a hand. At the end of the day, that book is their responsibility, and it's supposed to be the benchmark for their teacher to see how much progress they're making. Just don't overcomplicate things or step in too much!

silentraven6 said:Why?

Both suffixes actually exist in the language. Yours is just much less common, but there’s really no need to go around correcting people—especially not in a situation like this. Both versions show up in the linguistic corpus, though her way of doing it is far more frequent in everyday usage.

Honestly, there’s just no point in reading assigned school books to kids who are still actually trying to master the basics of reading. If they need help, read it along with them—it makes no difference if you have to lend a hand. At the end of the day, that book is their responsibility, and it's supposed to be the benchmark for their teacher to see how much progress they're making. Just don't overcomplicate things or step in too much!

Chill, I'm just messing with her. It reminded me of how our teachers back in school were always nitpicking us, saying it's our "native language" but our "motherly feelings." Honestly, I have no clue if that even makes sense.

Does 😬 mean absolutely nothing anymore? :cri:

Richard Perez3 said:Chill, I'm just messing with her. It reminded me of how our teachers back in school were always nitpicking us, saying it's our "native language" but our "motherly feelings." Honestly, I have no clue if that even makes sense.

Does 😬 mean absolutely nothing anymore? :cri:

I guess I’m just losing it—maybe I haven't seen a smiley face in so long from all the nonsense going on in my head that I've forgotten how to use them.

silentraven6 said:I guess I’m just losing it—maybe I haven't seen a smiley face in so long from all the nonsense going on in my head that I've forgotten how to use them.

I hope you stocked up on some Vitamin C!

What’s even the point of reading Mother Courage? Honestly, what's the point of school reading in general, besides getting a massive stomach ache the second you open the first page because it's mandatory...

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Sam Kim12 said:😉
The deadline matters—it's the only way to know when the window for reading and discussing the material actually closes.

My daughter's teacher didn't give a damn about specific dates during her first two years of elementary school. Back then, they handled assignments by just reading them in class and chatting about them—you know how those types of teachers are: all "let's just wander through *The Great Gatsby* or *Charlotte's Web* and see where we land." But now that she's in 3rd grade, everything has changed; there’s a hard deadline, and they tackle the books in three distinct ways: a test, a session in the school library with the librarian, and an in-class discussion plus a written summary in their notebooks following the teacher's exact instructions.😬

It’s the child's responsibility. A parent should be just as concerned about paying the electric bill or finishing a project at work as their kid is about their own homework. 😁

It’s just unrealistic to expect most elementary school kids to manage their own schedules or organize their work. It isn't out of line to tell them exactly when they should start reading and when they need to be finished if they want to get all their assignments done by a certain deadline.

I honestly feel it’s only natural to sit a child down and show them how to map things out ahead of time. If you're working on a project with a hard deadline, you need a plan so you don't end up underwater. Most people don't just pick that skill up by osmosis, you know? In fact, I actually learned this lesson the hard way just the other day. I was up until midnight finishing something I was supposed to present tomorrow. It wasn't even a matter of not having the time—I actually had three different blocks carved out during my regular office hours specifically to tackle this—but I completely misjudged how long it would take, and then some urgent matter popped up and threw a wrench in everything. So, here I am, staring at a deadline I almost missed...

That said, if I hadn't been planning ahead at all, I wouldn't have finished it by midnight! It's the same thing with homework or studying in general. I’ve always found the attitude of "I don't care, it's the kid's responsibility" to be such a strange way to parent. My colleagues and I actually talk about this quite often at work—discussing which teaching methods actually stick and which ones are total flops. I apply that same logic to my daughter. I help her figure out how to approach her studies, how to schedule her assignments so she isn't rushing, how to prep for an exam, and how to build a study timetable. We talk about note-taking strategies too, like how reviewing material right after school and jotting down some bullet points can make remembering things so much easier. I don't sit there reading books with her or doing the work for her (though if she asks, we might quiz her to see if she's actually got it), but I certainly don't pretend that her schooling is none of my business or leave her to drown without any guidance...