Fake Headteacher: I just want to read my book.

My NQT year – twenty years ago.

Me: Your year 4 class love reading!

Teacher: I know. My classes always love reading.

Me: How come?

Teacher: They just read after lunch everyday.

Me: I do that too with my class.

Teacher: No you don’t. You look at a text with different groups and ask them lots of questions.

Me: But isn’t that good teaching?

Teacher: Depends. That might help them confidently pass a reading test but it won’t inspire them to read.

Me: But I was told that silent reading isn’t enough. Maybe on a Friday for a bit if no one is looking.

Teacher: How many children read at home? Honestly? How many parents read in front of their children? How many books are in the household? When is a child inspired to read?

Me: But I would feel bad just letting children read their own book every day.

Teacher: Really? Thirty minutes a day – in silence – with a book. That’s 2.5 hours a week they have interrupted and quiet time to get lost in a book. Why do you feel bad?

Me: What are they learning though?

Teacher: Experience. To know what it feels like to want to read that book again and again. To build stamina and perseverance. To have an opportunity to

2017-19 Full blogs are now archived in the book ‘How Do You Think the Lesson Went?’