And this was Honors English?

[TheLittleRoo]

Would you think it was appropriate that a 7th grade Honors English course consisted of reading 4 books (Tom Sawyer, Macbeth, Eragon, etc) and discussing them? I waffled on conferencing with the principal about the teacher, but my son was mortified that I would rock the boat in his classroom so I stayed mum.

Although we live in a county that is not hurting for money, this teacher used class time to require the kids read their daily chapters 4 out of 5 classes. He did not pass out the books to take home (they were paperback - ask the parents to BUY them if you can't supply them!). So I initially bought every book my son had assigned for the year, only to learn it did him no good to read at home since the class time was quiet with the kids just.. reading. All class long. In Honors English! I'm still ticked just remembering it. Personally, I think he was enjoying an extra hour's planning period during that quiet time.

There were weekly quizzes and such, so grades were documentable, but in general is this appropriate curriculum and teaching method for any kids, especially bright ones? More importantly, if you found this to be happening in your child's classroom, would you speak up and to whom about it?

 

[breathinforluck]

This was what my Honor's English class was like in 7th grade.

I wasn't a fan of reading only four books, since I am a advanced reader. And My mom bought me all the books. So the day we started the book, I would already be finished with the next day. But luck for me the teacher had other books lined up if we read the ones assigned in the class.

I'm not sure if I would have had my parents say anything about it. I honestly loved the class. The teacher also had more plans if the kids in my class thought it was getting too easy.

 

[Aliceacc]

I teach math, so take it for what it's worth.

But MacBeth-- any Shakespear-- is HARD reading for high school kids, much less middle school ones. I can't imagine how they would get through it on their own.

 

[Nie0214]

They'd probably be reading an abridged version of MacBeth in 7th grade.

I do not remember ever having regular class time to read our assignments, especially in honors English. We were expected to read at home and come to class ready to discuss it or question it. The only exception was if we were reading a play, often we would do that in class with people assigned a character, and read out loud. It sounds like the teacher can't think of ways to engage his class. It's sad because being thrown a book and told to read it for 4 out of 5 days is probably why many children don't like reading.

My favorite part of English class in school was always the in-class discussions and debates. (I also liked writing, editing, and reading papers but I realize I'm an odd-ball.. I have a Bachelor's in English (minor in Mathematics). )

I would talk to the teacher or the principal, especially since it is an honor's class. I remember my 7th grade teacher showing us how to write essays and use commas correctly. I vaguely remember each of us having to choose a different biography to read, writing a small paper and then presenting it in front of the class. We had a whole segment on learning about poetry and the structure of it, vocabulary tests, etc.

There should be more to an English class than giving a book to a student and telling them to read it; they could just call it a Reading class if that's all they want to do.

Are they doing more than just reading during class? Does the teacher point out significant passages? Show them how to read closely? :/

 

[nessz79]

I am a high school English teacher and I will be teaching honors this next year. Let me tell you, honors is NOT what it used to be. I had one honors class a couple years ago so take this with a grain of salt, but those kids rarely read what I assigned them for homework. They would brag about how they didn't read the HW. Talk about infuriating.

I agree that Macbeth, etc is hard reading. I DO think that the teacher should be reading WITH the students and they should be stopping to discuss, do activities that help them understand along the way, write reflections, etc, etc. It shouldn't be just straight silent reading.

Not much learning there I think. I understand where you're coming from as far as students just reading by themselves. However, I don't think sending them home with a book is going to get much more, if any more, done. There needs to be some activities going on during class time. The teacher should be reading difficult texts WITH the students most of the time.

My 2 cents.

 

[Rylee]

Did you receive an outline, stating what curriculum would be cover throughout the year?

Each year at open house, we receive list of classroom policies, regarding... grading system, discipline, absenteeism, etc., important dates... standardized testing, regents, field trips, etc., plus an outline of what curriculum is expected to be covered. I think this would be the time to address any concerns.

 

[crisi]

What were you hoping for? A lot of English lit classes are taught like that. I'd prefer at least one written analysis myself, but if the instructor was hoping to get brains working through discussion, that is an option.

Its possible that the teacher has a lot of experience - and knows that if s/he doesn't provide classroom time to read, seventh graders, even honors students, don't always finish the material. Or she may have lost enough books to know she can't hand them out (even wealthy schools don't tend to have unlimited budgets) and asking kids to buy their own books is a no no in districts where income levels vary. Its also possible she was lazy and this was the easiest way to teach - but you don't know WHY she taught like she did until you talk to her. Why would you go to the principal instead of expressing your concerns directly to the teacher? Seventh graders don't always have their stories right, and its possible (probable in an Honor's English class) that there was additional work available (like in Breatheinforluck's class) had he asked.

 

[RMulieri]

My honors English class was exactly like this and that was MANY YEARS ago.My college courses in Lit were the same way.

 

[~*~Michelle~*~]

is this simply an honors English class or English lit? If it's a lit class than I can see that, but I would still want some discussion during the class period as well. It sounds more like study hall than honors english. I was in honors english throughout my school career & never had a class where we just sat & read the whole time.

 

[Nie0214]

Its possible that the teacher has a lot of experience - and knows that if s/he doesn't provide classroom time to read, seventh graders, even honors students, don't always finish the material.

This is true, but I think 4 days is too much "reading in class" time.

I'd at least talk to the teacher, you won't get the full picture from the 7th-grader's pov. There has to be more than just "sit down and read" for an hour.

I am a high school English teacher and I will be teaching honors this next year. Let me tell you, honors is NOT what it used to be. I had one honors class a couple years ago so take this with a grain of salt, but those kids rarely read what I assigned them for homework. They would brag about how they didn't read the HW. Talk about infuriating.

I was in honors classes, and ours were the same way. Friends would brag about not doing the reading/homework in any class. At least half of those really did most of the work though, they were just trying to "fit in" and be cool.

 

[My5Mouseketeers]

I agree that Honors classes are not what they used to be (what is?

My daughter had 7th grade honors English this year. I know they spent a lot of time quietly reading in class, either the assigned book or when they finished the assigned book they could read a book of their choosing.

They also had to write essays, book reports and she had a 12 page typed study guide for one of her tests.

My kids are readers, so I was a little alarmed that they spend classroom time reading. I think it comes down to the fact that kids are so busy with activities these days, that giving them time to read can be a gift. They can learn the love of reading. My whole family reads a lot, but I know I have to make time for them to do it sometimes. Just making them sit still for 20 minutes to read will get them sucked into a book. Then I will find them in bed with a flashlight at midnight reading. I *have* to yell at them, but inside I'm so happy!

 

[Matt'sMom]

Would you think it was appropriate that a 7th grade Honors English course consisted of reading 4 books (Tom Sawyer, Macbeth, Eragon, etc) and discussing them?

This is what we did in English Literature (Honors/AP) classes back when I was in HS & College. You read the books, then had discussions & analysis once or twice per week... followed up by graded exams.

Considering the age group (middle school), I can understand why they are doing the reading during school hours--I honestly doubt most of the kids that age would/could actually complete all of the reading assignments on schedule if expected to do so outside of the classroom. I have a 7th grade son, and he receives an average of 1 to 2 hours worth of homework on most school days (he is taking advanced math courses, but our MS doesn't offer Lit at this stage), is in both MS band (concert) and the HS Band (marching & concert), Boyscouts, etc. (had to reluctantly drop soccer this Fall, due to not having sufficient time to do it all). Many of the kids this age are involved in sports, band and multiple other activities as well. Between home work assignments and other school related activities, they often maintain a very busy 'after school' schedule. Honestly, I would be quite appreciative of a teacher allowing students to do their reading in school, rather than piling more home work onto these already busy kids! But that's just my opinion.

 

[mjkacmom]

If you have concerns, please address them with the teacher, before jumping a step and going right to the principal, who will not be happy that you didn't talk to the teacher first. Your child might be leaving some things out, as kids do.

 

[NotUrsula]

It's been 35 years, but that's what I remember of honors English, too. Actually, in 7th grade I was an honors class all by myself, because we didn't have an honors English program. My 7th grade teacher gave me a reading list and a pile of paper assignments and essentially ignored me the rest of the time. Among my assignments that year were Shakespeare's Complete Works, and Dreiser's Sister Carrie (which thankfully my mother never opened, because she would have thrown a fit about it if she had.)

I had a class much like the OP describes for honors English in the 11th grade. My teacher was really past retirement age, and we had her class right after lunch. Almost every day she would walk into the classroom, announce that "today, class, we will read silently", and then settle into her chair for a nap. Some days she would doze off with a bottle of Coke in her hand, and when she did the Coke would end up pouring out on the floor. We would take the bottle out of her hand, clean up the puddle, and then leave. (The journalism class was next door at the same period, and they had permission to roam while working on their stories -- we often tagged along.) Five minutes before the bell we would be sure to be back at our desks books in hand, and when the bell rang and woke Mrs. Jones, she never knew we had ever left.

You see, we were the "good kids" and she trusted us. We could knock the assignments out without breaking a sweat, and honestly as long as we could consistently do that she seemed to think that all was fine. The books that she assigned us were fairly sophisticated (I remember Ellison's Invisible Man, for instance) but the exams were always really easy multiple choice and fill in the blank. She really just didn't know what to do with us, I think.

 

[Feralpeg]

I taught freshman and sophomore Honors English. We did some reading in class because the kids were not good about reading on their own. However, we read together and we discussed the works. We did projects related to the works we read and discussed the relevance to today's media. We looked for literary mechanisms and compared them to current music and movies. We did a unit on poetry and then used what they learned about poetry to analyze popular music.

If kids are just sitting and reading on their own, IMHO, the teacher is taking the easy way out.

 

[nessz79]

I taught freshman and sophomore Honors English. We did some reading in class because the kids were not good about reading on their own. However, we read together and we discussed the works. We did projects related to the works we read and discussed the relevance to today's media. We looked for literary mechanisms and compared them to current music and movies. We did a unit on poetry and then used what they learned about poetry to analyze popular music.

If kids are just sitting and reading on their own, IMHO, the teacher is taking the easy way out.

Good way to put it! This is the way we try to do honors English in high school as well. We just had to do the majority of reading in class or things were not being read. However, we try to do activities similar to what is described above.

I also agree if the kids are just sitting and reading and nothing else is going on, the teacher is definitely getting the "good" end of that deal, not your child, OP.

 

[nessz79]

I was in honors classes, and ours were the same way. Friends would brag about not doing the reading/homework in any class. At least half of those really did most of the work though, they were just trying to "fit in" and be cool.

Good to know, by the way! I find that reassuring!

 

[Tam1067]

I'm a college English prof for what it's worth.

There is a debate in my field about the role of literary works and non-fiction in the teaching of writing. Students reading literary works as part of an English course and then writing about those works is not unique, so the idea of reading literature is certainly a valid one in any English course.

A good teacher will have discussion in class and will require students to also produce some work based on the discussion and readings. It's possible there was a lot of discussion in class; however, I've learned from both my students and from my own kids that the reporting back to Mom and Dad about what has happened in the classroom is 100% accurate.

I think the teacher might want to give classroom time for students because, as we all know, plots for all these works are available in really easy to read cheat websites out there which smart kids can use to avoid doing the real work. If the teacher can watch the kids read, then he or she is controlling at least to a degree, the level of dishonesty possible. The longer I teach, the more dismayed I become about this particular issue.

 

[TheLittleRoo]

Thanks for all the insightful replies. I hesitated to talk to the teacher at my son's request not to "blow the whistle" on how much they get away with in class. I never had a chance to hear the teacher's POV as a result, so I would never have complained to the principal w/o talking to him first, lest I look like a complete buffoon!

Like a PP said, my son was happy to have quiet time in class to read (or do other homework/study) and got an A+ in the course, not to mention being "a delightful student" the teacher himself called me to say about my son. Sadly, I didn't know about what was going on at that time, as it would have been a perfect segue.

I was also in Honors English in MS and HS, and reading silently with discussions every 5th class was not what we did. We were expected to have read 1-3 chapters between classes and come to class prepared to discuss them. I also remember classes spent diagramming sentences and learning the syntax of English itself, as well as writing MANY papers.

I can't think of an easy way to have a conversation with the teacher if indeed this was his teaching format after all. Where do you go from there? The syllubus indicated the grading for various components but not classroom teaching plans.

 

[nessz79]

Thanks for all the insightful replies. I hesitated to talk to the teacher at my son's request not to "blow the whistle" on how much they get away with in class. I never had a chance to hear the teacher's POV as a result, so I would never have complained to the principal w/o talking to him first, lest I look like a complete buffoon!

Like a PP said, my son was happy to have quiet time in class to read (or do other homework/study) and got an A+ in the course, not to mention being "a delightful student" the teacher himself called me to say about my son. Sadly, I didn't know about what was going on at that time, as it would have been a perfect segue.

I was also in Honors English in MS and HS, and reading silently with discussions every 5th class was not what we did. We were expected to have read 1-3 chapters between classes and come to class prepared to discuss them. I also remember classes spent diagramming sentences and learning the syntax of English itself, as well as writing MANY papers.

I can't think of an easy way to have a conversation with the teacher if indeed this was his teaching format after all. Where do you go from there? The syllubus indicated the grading for various components but not classroom teaching plans.

Not sure if you're referring to MS or HS with having to read 1-3 chapters between classes, but that's really a lot for a middle school student to be responsible for, especially nowadays. I was in honors classes in high school...it wasn't all that long ago (about 11-12 years ago) and it's vastly different now as a high school honors teacher. Kids just don't do the work you assign them. Some do, many do not. Sometimes we have to adjust our expectations.

However, I do still agree that 4 days of silent reading and 1 day of discussion is wayyyyyyyyy out of proportion. I'm not sure how I would approach the situation. To be honest, I'd probably not contact the teacher and would try to supplement what I thought my child was missing at home. But that's me. You could always e-mail the teacher with your concerns.