Thank you for the many responses.

[frndshpcptn]

Sorry - I also agree. If it's the assigment, then he has to do it. Sometimes I think my work projects are boring, but I have to do them anyway. Good lesson to learn early.

Plus, I have found that when I re-read books I often find little new details that I missed the first few times I read them

 

[BuckNaked]

I'm with the teacher too. It won't kill him to read a "boring" book for 5 minutes a day.

 

[N.Bailey]

Why can't you son go to the school library and get a book? Between the school library and our town library, I buy few books anymore. I did buy lots when the kids were younger, but that's because you could read the same book 1000 times and they'd still want to hear it over and over.

 

[MoniqueU]

My son also in 7th grade asks for gift cards to barnes and noble from family. They come in handy. Right now I have 50 bucks left to spend. I need to get on ordering my own son some more books. We have a reading log that is due weekly and if it is not signed he gets a zero. IF it is signed late he gets a 50 percent. He checks out books from the school library and trades with friends too. All good ways to get books. Required reading is pretty much mandatory in all schools now.

 

[Disney Doll]

I find it hard to believe that your 7th grader has read every book in the town library, where I am assuming books can be checked out for free.

Fair isn't the problem here. Your son knows the rules, he is choosing to break them. Choices have consequences, as he is learning.

As my father once said "Life isn't always going to be fair. Get used to it".

 

[daisyduck123]

I think the teacher is being fair.

It should not be that difficult for a student to have a book to read for the 1st 5 minutes of class each day. My 1st grade have 10 minutes of sustained silent reading each day.

I would take him to the library & get some books designated only for "school reading" & not let him read them at home, only in this teacher's class.

 

[N.Bailey]

I find it hard to believe that your 7th grader has read every book in the town library, where I am assuming books can be checked out for free.

Fair isn't the problem here. Your son knows the rules, he is choosing to break them. Choices have consequences, as he is learning.

As my father once said "Life isn't always going to be fair. Get used to it".

I don't disagree with you, but where did the OP say that her child read all the books in the library? I think she said there is only a minimum number she can check out at one time, or get on a list for.

I wasn't familiar with the library she was talking about. Was it an Internet library of sorts? IMO, the town library and the school library are both excellent resources that most of us have available. I really can see no excuse for not having a book to read in this day and age. Not even for the poorest of the poor.

 

[Serena]

I agree with everyone else.

But, why would you assume the teacher was wrong here. He isn't doing what he's supposed to be doing. It's not difficult. It's only 5 minutes of the day. Boring or not, it's not that long a time.
He's only in 7th grade. He is going to have to do a lot of boring things before he's out of school. But one thing you have to stress, is that he has to follow the rules, like it or not.

 

[GEM]

Like most others, I gotta go with the teacher on this one.

And as for this one -

He reads too much of the time anyway.

I honestly don't think that's possible - unless he reads so much that he's flunking out of school for not doing his other homework or something. Other than that, I can't imagine ever saying that a child "reads too much of the time."

 

[Teacher03]

I also agree with the teacher. I'm sure there is a book somewhere out there that your son could read for five minutes a day. I don't think she (the teacher) is being unfair.

 

[Planogirl]

He'll have to do plenty of boring reading in high school and college. This will teach him to push his way through the more dull assignments.

 

[CajunDixie]

She admits she doesn't have books for his level.

How about going to the school's PTO and asking them to donate money to either the teacher's class specifically for books or to the library for this specific reading level? Or with the schools permission hit up some local businesses for monetary donations to use to purchase books....a small label can be glued inside the cover stating "This book was donated by ABC Business"

I do get him books from the interlibrary loan but there is a limit to the number that can be on the request list.

Our interlibrary is a PITA to use on a regular basis. You have to go into your local library and already know the title and author of the book you want to request then you basically order it from a larger library. Some libraries charge for this and some can take a few days to get the books in....which means another trip to the library to pick up the requested books.

Some of you just don't understand if a person lives in a small town (my town is a 2 stoplight town ) they do not necessarily have very many AR books in each level. Same goes for the school's library since they've been moving toward the AR books.

The OP did not state if the 5 minute reading has to be from his AR level. Possibly the teacher would allow him/everyone to read from any book for that 5 minutes. Then you could go for some non-fiction books as well as higher level AR books. Or maybe he could even test out of his current AR level early (our school only tested/changed at the beginning of each trimester) and move up a level.

Try going into the school and working out a solution rather than letting your son receive zeros.

 

[tar heel]

Teacher's class, teacher's rules . . . There are a few exceptions to that, but this isn't one of them. If he's supposed to read, then he should either have a book with him or read one of the "boring" ones. I'm pretty intolerant of my teens talking about "boring" anyway -- makes me want to require them to do whatever they're complaining about.

Go to the public library. Check out whatever the maximum is on his library card, your library card, your dh's library card. You could make one of them War and Peace.

My son keeps a book in his backpack for silent reading at school and doesn't read that one at other times.

 

[jfulcer]

If we have to suffer through reading through a ton of boring posts here on the DIS, the least your DS could do is suffer through a little reading, even if it's beneath him.

 

[yeartolate]

This to me is a no brainer.

He needs to follow the rules or accept the consequences of his actions.

Can't he find a book that he keeps just for the "five minute " purpose - or a similar compromise?

 

[FreshTressa]

Part of getting through school (and especially college) is just the act of "jumping through the hoops" - the skills that are learned are perseverace, problem solving, and cooperation.

I don't think the teacher is being unreasonable and I think your son is capable of figuring this problem out for himself. Or at least I would hope that a seventh grader would be able to. (ie., there is no reason for him to be getting zeros ...and it's not the teacher's fault). Sorry if that isn't what you wanted to hear.

Sorry, but I have to agree.

I'm in college, and you still have to jump through hoops that don't make sense.

 

[shortbun]

Have him choose a book JUST to read in that class for 5 minutes. It's much better than a zero for homework. This is an easy one.

 

[Cindy B]

Its fair. He can read a "boring" book-- remember its his choosing to not do th assignment. 7th grade should be able to handle consequences like this easily.

Goodwill, thrift stores, even garage sales always have books. Go to the library and find the "surplus" ones on sale --usually 25 cents or the give a book take a book pile.

Five minutes could be two-five pages depending on how fast the reader is, and when they actually get started. Really, its not that hard of an assignment.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Sorry, but I agree with the teacher on this one.

He reads too much already? Um, if that was my kid I'd be pretty dang proud of that fact.

 

[Kitty 34]

Not all work is exciting in school and later on in life. There will always be a "boring" spot to fill be it 20 min, 5 min, maybe an hour. Have him read one of the books for 5 minutes.

On a side note my classes (according to our curriculum) have to read 15 minutes!! Luckily, I have had no major complaints.