Enid Blyton

A has just finished reading the last in the Malory Towers’ series, and it brought back memories of how I loved them when I was her age. Like me she mispronounces Alicia’s name, although unlike me she has no excuse as I have told her how it is pronounced.

About a year ago I started to encourage her to read Enid Blyton books as today’s equivalent (a large series of books on about twenty different fairies) really didn’t engage her. When we sat reading together I could tell that she just wasn’t into them. And it didn’t surprise me; the stories were very slow.

It had been a long time since I had read an Enid Blyton book so I did cringe at a few things – the use of the word shan’t being one, but I still thing her books are great for kids.

Finland’s literacy figures have fallen slightly. Recently I read that they are attributing it to fewer boys reading for pleasure. We regularly ‘forget’ to do H’s reading homework. At the moment we are reading a chapter of Horrid Henry a night together so he really doesn’t need it. I also want them to think of reading as something fun they do with their dad or me, not something to be done for the teacher.

When Harry Potter first hit the bookshops many primary teachers were very against it, not wanting children to read it. So many of them were against the books that I remember hearing someone question a primary teacher on whether she was for or against them. It was obviously a big thing amongst teachers.

I know that the fact that it was about magic bothered some people but having half watched some of the films I have not been struck by any satanic messages running through the storylines. 

Instead of pushing children to be reading and four, shouldn’t we just be encouraging them to be enjoying books?

Finland

I read this week that schools in Finland have been so inundated with requests for visits from teachers from other countries to come and see why their education system is so good, that they are no longer participating.

Now it has long been established that Finland has one of the best education systems in the world, and has very low illiteracy rates. On top of this, international surveys put it pretty high up the top ten with regards maths and science.

Many of the reasons for Finland’s success are well established – graduate educated teachers; waiting until they are seven before the children are taught to read and write; no mandatory exams before he age of seventeen so that the emphasis is put on learning, rather than teaching to exam.

A visit to Finland may result in British teachers learning more, but sadly, I doubt it would result in many, or even any schools implementing any of these. The changes need to be made my national government, and it doesn’t matter who we have in power, the changes that would be needed would be far too great for any party to implement.