I certainly remember all sorts of "mummy homework" when the boys were at primary school. I usually heard about them the night before the sock puppet/Christmas angel/pirate outfit/book day costume was required, although my particular brand of Life with Boys acknowledges that said homework could have been a long established requirement! Nonetheless, for us, World Book Day was definitely more of a dressing up stress than a celebration of story. Bravo to anyone who pulls it back to its roots.
Apparently its roots lie under the mighty UNESCO oak. They wanted to "promote reading and a love of books". The Curiosity Approach's article also cites research that describes one in eleven UK children who do not own one single book of their own at home. In a school like the one where I work, that number would be one in eight. What shocked me even more was the idea that children who did have at least one book at home had in fact, on average, 51 books. That's some jump.
On Thursday (World Book Day) the small group of 16 year-old boys who are in my English class got their January exam results. They are all boys with a history of failing in English. Most of them went up two or even three grades from their summer result. Do not take this as a sign of my teaching prowess: for only three of them was this enough to get them over the pass line. We're pushing on hard to the final exam this summer.
I took them cake on Thursday and a huge bag of books from our shelves. I think we have safely more than 51 books in this house. I think I can safely guess that my school boys do not. I took all our picture and short story books that were not babyish. We ate cake and read. One of them apparently said that he had just read his first book. I had this picture up on the screen. It's from this quite fabulous book. "If at first you don't succeed, have some cake." Hopefully it will work every time! All prayers for them (and me!) would be greatly appreciated!
6 comments:
Prayer ascending! I really love that illustration from the Mackesy book. That looks like one I'd buy for my "art book" collection. :) Good work with the boys!
I didn't know about World Book Day, but I do know about the WORLD of books, and if my children and I had not explored there hours of every day, our lives would have been much the poorer for it.
Thank you for the "shout-out" -- I don't think there can be too many reminders on this theme.
Well done with your boys so far and good luck for the SUmmer! Goodness, that is a difficult job!
Yes, I was worrying about the materialism of the costume thing and losing the point of it but I REAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLY like dressing up and thinking what costume I can cobble together!
I loved that article you shared and that costume was so cute- The Lost words one!
From a non teaching background but I came from generations of readers and book lovers . And I seem to have spawned another two generations. Children who don’t have that miss out on so so many levels . As my mother always said , you are never alone if you have a book !
Having grown up descended from grandparents and parents who read , and having produced another two generations of readers , I was always puzzled as a child when other houses didn’t have books . I now realise there are reasons for this and it saddens me . Reading is so good on many levels , and as my mother always said , you are never lonely with a book
That last looks like a book well worth reading! Thanks for point it out.
Your work with the school boys sounds difficult but very rewarding. You are giving them a world and a life! It's so generous of you to take that bag of books in. And cake -- food does communicate love and acceptance in a way other things don't. Good job, Mags :)
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