For our elementary-school-aged daughter, reading logs have usurped the pleasure of reading. Period.

Explaining to teachers that reading logs convert reading-for-pleasure into a timed event for our child is certainly awkward, as they expect 100% compliance. In September, reading promptly becomes reading-for-words-until-I-read-long-enough. In the short summer that follows, I help her habituate to reading for pleasure. Then the pleasure’s out the window again in September for another 10 months.

It is wonderful that other children view reading logs as goals, or as diaries on which to reflect. Still, other children likely wouldn’t read almost daily if it weren’t for reading logs, and certainly this exercise forces improvement in such reading components as fluency.

Cultivating a life-long reading habit for our child, however, is worth facing her teachers about the reading logs. When she’s not “reading for the reading log,” she reads all kinds of stuff interesting to her. We notice improvement along several dimensions.

We do realize that school administrators must demonstrate their compliance with these current trends in reading, particularly when such trends are related to No Child Left Behind. Our bottom line: Remain child-centered, and resist applying research-based evidence as if the conclusions apply to every singular child in the bell curve.

I am a first grade teacher who has a weekly reading log that I hand out. At this early age it is important that the children get into a routine of reading every night. There are some parents who did not know that they were supposed to be doing this and need the log to serve as a reminder. I don't feel like a piece if a paper that asks for the stories read at home and who was reading them takes the fun out of reading. It serves as a way to discuss reading and helps the children to see that school and home are making sure that they are learning and caring that they be the best reader they can be!

After reading the responses and other factors of your site I still have the same question. What "real" value does the reading log have? Now I am not asking for the response "because it is used to determine a child's ability to comprehend what they read". I am asking what is the value? The child reads at home, the parent has to sign a tracking form, "reading logs", and then the student turns in the paper so the school can justify their policy of the reading log. Now if the child does not turn in the reading log, they "fail" that portion of the class regardless if the student if getting A's throughout the course they still fail the class because a reading log id a tracking form for the school in not turned in. Now comes the penalty--the child fails, not because he/she is stupid or unable, the grades on tests and class work show that they are capable, they fail because of a meaningless piece of paper that is used to justify a specific program for the school. The background research on reading logs is, to say the least, varied in the interpretation of it true value which would lead a parent to question why it is being processed as a grade rather than a supporting document to suggest why the student is not doing well in a class.

I have had a similar frusration with reading logs that someone previous posted. The reading logs have turned reading into such a chore. She loves to read and write and reads a high level. I believe they are not right for all children. Some kids seem to take to it so well, and others really struggle with it. If they are reading every night, then is it really necessary? She is even willing to write a paragraph on what she has read as long as she doesn't have to record day, time and number of pages.

We're having the same exact problem at our house, Kim. Molly all but refuses to read for her "homework" but the minute we put the form away she's happy to curl up with a good book. Not good!

I have a 13 year old son that reads on average 1 hour per day. He has been doing this since second grade. He loves books and gets so excited about books. Reading logs have been the bane of his existence. In fact, last year, he received a "C" on one because the teacher didn't see where I had initialed his summaries. His accelerated 7th grade language art teacher has just brought back the "reading log". Tonight he said, I want to read but then I'll have to log. To make it worse, since he is known to be a voracious reader, he feels pressure to live up to his reputation. I feel like petitioning my congressman to outlaw reading logs.

Reading logs are required at our middle school. Our department chair insists on using them even though all other teachers know that they are counter-productive and alienating most of our studetns. One person with veto power overrules the combined common sense of all the other teachers and teaches our students to hate reading.

I just love reading everyone's comments - thank you for sharing your experiences, and keep 'em coming! We've done our own silent revolt against reading logs at our house--we just don't do it. The form is in Molly's folder every day, and every day we ignore it. Then, Molly grabs her favorite book and reads for far longer than her log would suggest she should. Report cards come home next week; I'm interested to see whether there is any comment about her lack of homework. I doubt I'll be able to keep this up as she moves through school, but at least for now, it's working for us.

I was looking online for advice/opinions about reading logs and was not surprised by the responses here.
As a teacher, I can respect the views of most responses, however, Joanne, I am bothered by the fact that it seems like you have not communicated this with the teacher. To just have Molly not do the assignment is teaching her to defy her teacher's expectations. The situation would be better handled, in my opinion, if you were to print out the above response (as well as try to find any researched based support) and bring it to Molly's teacher.
Thank you all for your insightful responses.

I am a PhD student currently doing an independent study course in YAL and came across this blog while researching reading logs, a tool many of my fellow teacher-students employ in their courses and of which they speak highly. From the comments here, I ascertain my peers are on a different page about this tool. To be fair, I believe that what my cohorts term "reading log" is actually a reading reflection journal, thus a significantly different assessment tool. However, I am somewhat puzzled as to the resistance to the title/date/pages read log. Are the titles to be read assigned? If not, I am unsure why recording what the student read for pleasure, as several posts referenced, is a stumbling block. Why is simply recording what one has accomplished an impediment to that accomplishment? It seems to me little different from punching out of work at the end of the day. Annoying, yes, but ultimately beneficial. I must also agree with Jen P regarding non-compliance with the assignment. I am certainly a Thoreau fan and beleive in "civil disobedience" when it serves a purpose--I often nudge my own college level students to challenge unjust imposititions-- but non-compliance with a reading log doesn't seem to fit the bill here. I also have serious concerns about the model of teaching a child to simply "opt out" of something he/she just doesn't want to do. As a college teacher, I see the negative impact of such thinking on post secondary education. At that level, not doing an assignment just because a student does not like it results in no score and often course failure. There, parents can't simply argue with the professor until the assignemt is dropped or changed--FERPA and other laws make the student responsible for himself/herself. Further, most of us must accomplish tasks regularly we don't like, whether its washing the dishes, taking out the trash, or filling out a ten page report at the office. Imagine the results of choosing not to do such tasks. Habits learned early often stick for life, and I encourage parents to give thought beyond a simple reading log to the broader implications of perhaps undue resistance. By the way, I am a parent who has seen two sons through a public school system, reading logs and all, and at 17 and 20, they do not appear to have been negatively impacted by the experience.

As a teacher and a parent, I see the overall relevance of reading logs. Not all parents are fortunate enough to have children who enjoy reading for pleasure...at least initially. Not all students have parents who insist that their children read...log or not. I do see that for a parent who's child enjoys reading anyway, a log is pointless. However, for parents of children who wouldn't read unless it was assigned for homework (or it was a daily fight)...it does serve a purpose. I personally assign reading logs not only to require students to read but also to hold parents accountable for engaging in their child's education. (And then I still have parents who don't pay attention to what is on the log...they just sign them....unfortunate. But that isn't the majority.)

I would like to respond to Mark H. Although I understand and to some extent agree with your assessment regarding the "opt out" approach, I too have had to find a way to deal with this issue with my daughter. I did talk to the teacher at length and my daughter has tried many different approaches to this reading log. I don't think we do want to teach our children to just not do it, but at the same time if it is really causing an issue with such a fundamental thing as reading, I too would "opt out". I trust that Joanne handled it in a way that was appropriate. I think we can teach our child that just because someone is in charge it does not mean they are right. When you feel very strongly about something like this, it does seem like the correct solution. If it is an isolated incident (meaning one allows their child do avoid anything they dislike) then it could be a beneifcial approach. I have simply said to my daughter that Miss J is your teacher and she is a good teacher, but on this particular issue we don't agree and we want to work something out so that learning is still fun. In fourth grade I really feel this is important. I was not the only parent (there were at least 6) that had this issue. The teacher would not budge or compromise. What I have observed with my child is that she finds the transition from a right brain like activity to a very left brain activity difficult. She also feels judged and that it won't be enough. This has alot to do with how the teacher handles it in the classroom, of course. Having to take write down time and pages was very tedious. I think writing a response to the reading once week is very useful, but recording that information is crazy! Once this summer came my daugter got 3 books from the libray, made a bood mark that said I love reading, reading is great and got to it! Something she did not do during the school year and kept saying she hated reading.. so that is enough evidence for me!

I teach grade one students. We don't have reading logs for home. I send home an easy read each night with my students. I also have the students reflect on his or her reading from the night before. Sometimes it is a book that they have had read to them or one they have tried on their own or the easy read that I sent home with them. I feel this developes choose, credibility and high interest without a meaningless paper trail. This paper trail is often forgoten or lost. The reading experience is often not.