What is the purpose of making kids write down how many minutes they read? Yes, I know. Many kids don't read and if they don't read they don't get better at reading. But, what about those kids that already like to read? We are forcing them to count minutes when all they want to do is read. We are forcing them into a competition of reading "the most minutes". What is more important -- reading for fun or reading for minutes?
Kids cannot be forced into doing something they don't want to do outside of school. Teachers can only control what happens in school. If students are not reading outside of school, teachers need to make sure they read in school.
Once again, the needs of the lowest students take precedence over the needs of the high achieving student. If our education system continues to ignore these high achieving students, they will quit being high achievers. If our country loses these high achievers, we will cease to be a world power.