I have decided that Flea’s teacher is a ninja of passive aggression. Her weapon of choice isn’t the Chinese throwing star or a semi-automatic. It’s this:
I cannot fully express how much I hate the Reading Record. For the uninitiated, this little book is intended to be a daily record of what your child reads at school.
What it actually is, though, is a way for your child’s teacher to send you a daily reminder of your parental shortcomings.
Flea’s been in her new class for a little over a month and so far comments in the Reading Record have included:
“F requires plain white socks in her gym bag, please!”
“New gym socks need to be labelled, please!”
“Please sign the Reading Record EVERY day, please!”
“Maths workbook not in bag – could you please ensure F brings it in tomorrow?”
“Have checked – workbook is NOT in classroom. Could you check again at home, please?”
“I apologise. Maths workbook was tucked inside the reading folder. Please ensure maths workbook is placed inside maths folder!”
Somehow, Flea has got the idea that her Reading Record is actually called ‘that stupid wretched book’. Can’t imagine where she got that sort of language from. *cough*
Anyway, I had a plan. A plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a fox.
On Friday Flea came home and there was a Post-It note on her homework folder:
"F didn't have a record book today," apparently.
Tragically, it seems Flea's reading record has gone missing.
I’m working on my very best innocent face for tomorrow morning.
Sly, hun, sly!
Bloody teachers used to just take the register and occasionally read from a teachers guide book. God help them when my two go to school. I hate authority!
WOW. Your language for the “reading record” is really restrained, considering… This was so funny, though. (Sorry.)
Ha ha.
I have to record how many minutes reading my daughter does each evening (including being read to). I went through this with my son, and it turned reading from a pleasure to a chore for a year. “Come on, we’ve got to do another 10 minutes…” I decided to do it differently second time round. I fill in all 7 days on a Friday morning, and let the teacher assume that we live such an incredibly organised life, that we read for exactly 20 minutes every evening (which is the required amount). Because that’s what that stupid wretched form says.
Oh, you don’t know how heartening it is to me to know that someone else hates the blasted Reading Record Book as much as I do. That little thing is the bane of my existence, though at least Noble Girl’s teacher doesn’t leave me notes in it for anything other than how her reading is going. Still, I always forget to write in it even when we have read the (frankly, utterly boring) school books, thus giving me the appearance of a lazy, can’t-be-arsed mother.
Perhaps next time you get a little ‘note’ from Flea’s teacher you could tape a Valium to the Reading Book with the inscription ‘chill pill’?
Ha, ha, brilliant and good luck!
Do let us know what happens!
Ours said things like, “We encourage writing in pencil rather than pen for homework!” And, “We’d like to see more letter practice Una!” And, “We like shoulder length hair to be tied up at school!” etc. etc.
Grrrrr.
no way! they use it to tell you off?! Damn right it got lost!
Given these books are the form of communication between the teacher and home, we do fill it out but only about reading activities.
I think you’re approaching it wrong Sally, we use it as a means to test the school, not the other way round pmsl. “j is doing well with the verbs, please give more time in class to the adjectives” – gets em every time!! Much more fun xxx
I really wish schools would stop making reading a mechanical chore for children. It should be enjoyable. Reading records should be used for children they are concerned about. Oh and the books they get to read are dead boring! My daughter isn’t in school yet but I used to be a teacher.
Junior’s School has these as well and I can’t fault it. Lots of children don’t always tell you what happened that day – and notes/letters get lost – so it’s very, very handy.
I know you’re writing in a funny way about it but I think it’s a great thing.
Blimey! We have one of these but it seems to be fairly lax in its application – never had any notes in it, and as long as something gets scribbled in it they seem to be happy!
ahh – we still have the same at 15! i understand your frustration completely
Surely is a book for writing comments about how her reading is going not a useful way to moan at the parents. We have the same book and i hate it because although we don’t have to read with them every day, it is like a competition between the parents on who can finish it the fast and move on to a new one. Well i can’t be bothered with that. . . Such teachers pets lol
Thats Tops book… although ours is orange.