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> One parent in my sons class expected her kid to read Harry Potter in grade 1. Some first-graders are capable of that -- but yes, certainly not a reasonable b

> One parent in my sons class expected her kid to read Harry Potter in grade 1. Some first-graders are capable of that -- but yes, certainly not a reasonable baseline expectation for that age.

tetromino_ 6y ago
When I was 6 years old, I started reading my family's collection of Jules Verne in Russian translation (I chose the books whose covers looked interesting). I was a reasonably smart kid, but certainly not a genius, not exceptionally talented. If you find it unreasonable to expect a smart first grader to be able to read Harry Potter, then my reaction is that either written English is unexpectedly much more difficult to learn for a child compared to written Russian, or American parents and teachers are doing an unexpectedly bad job of teaching it.
- maxwelljoslyn 6y ago
  I don't find it unreasonable for a smart first grader, or even kindergartner. I'm unsure whether it is doable for a typical one. I based my earlier response on what I knew from others as children. But, seeing your response and those of others in this thread, perhaps I was mistaken. Then again: >American parents and teachers are doing an unexpectedly bad job of teaching it. I can't speak for American parents but American teachers aren't so good in general.
- Spooky23 6y ago
  Answer: It depends. When I went to school, we began significant reading in grade 1, when I was 6. NYC public school kindergarten at that time was half day, and focused on social activity, counting, letter recognition, etc. My younger brother was effectively reading on his own at age 4 before kindergarten, mainly because my sister was a huge reader and they read together constantly. She also has a natural talent for teaching. Remember that kids are very different. My son was born in early January, he has a classmate born in early December. Teachers have to work with both extremes, as well as kids in various family situations that affect social development. There are also brain development factors that apply and don't necessarily level out until 7/8 years old. My beef up the thread was that some hyper-vigilant parents expect teachers to achieve the possible, but improbably, because they have decided that little Johnny is a genius. The same people will pay $10,000 for soccer leagues, etc.

> One parent in my sons class expected her kid to read Harry Potter in grade 1. Some first-graders are capable of that -- but yes, certainly not a reasonable baseline expectation for that age.

tetromino_ 6y ago

When I was 6 years old, I started reading my family's collection of Jules Verne in Russian translation (I chose the books whose covers looked interesting). I was a reasonably smart kid, but certainly not a genius, not exceptionally talented. If you find it unreasonable to expect a smart first grader to be able to read Harry Potter, then my reaction is that either written English is unexpectedly much more difficult to learn for a child compared to written Russian, or American parents and teachers are doing an unexpectedly bad job of teaching it.

maxwelljoslyn 6y ago
I don't find it unreasonable for a smart first grader, or even kindergartner. I'm unsure whether it is doable for a typical one. I based my earlier response on what I knew from others as children. But, seeing your response and those of others in this thread, perhaps I was mistaken. Then again: >American parents and teachers are doing an unexpectedly bad job of teaching it. I can't speak for American parents but American teachers aren't so good in general.
Spooky23 6y ago
Answer: It depends. When I went to school, we began significant reading in grade 1, when I was 6. NYC public school kindergarten at that time was half day, and focused on social activity, counting, letter recognition, etc. My younger brother was effectively reading on his own at age 4 before kindergarten, mainly because my sister was a huge reader and they read together constantly. She also has a natural talent for teaching. Remember that kids are very different. My son was born in early January, he has a classmate born in early December. Teachers have to work with both extremes, as well as kids in various family situations that affect social development. There are also brain development factors that apply and don't necessarily level out until 7/8 years old. My beef up the thread was that some hyper-vigilant parents expect teachers to achieve the possible, but improbably, because they have decided that little Johnny is a genius. The same people will pay $10,000 for soccer leagues, etc.