My child is in 9th grade. She has a reading and Language disability at around the 4th grade level. The Teacher she has really dose not know what to do to keep her motavation, he is not creative.She has not been assigned one book all year. I have called the Principle, the Special Ed Director and the Teacher. I feel that it is a hopeless cause. On one hand I get excited about the NCLB Act but even with that our State and our school system are facing cut’s and new programing is not heard of. Even if it was the Teacher is not a match for her. My child tells me she is frustrated with her reading class and she dose not want to do it any more.Her Teacher tells me that it is hard for him to get her to talk to him, he has to bull it out of her. She tells me that the Teacher is so boaring and that she just want’s to cry when she is in the class. I am starting to thnk that it might be time to just let her stay at the level she is at and to give up fighting the school for proper programing. I am so tired of the stress , the phone calls. I feel like no matter how hard I try , or how many calls I make that I do not get anywhere.If I could hire a tutor I would, this is not a choice for us IN our High School students get to choose Two electives, because she needs reading that has to be one of her electives. Because she chooses to be in some reg ed classes she has to have a resource study, that has to be her other elective. . All classes that focus on her weakness and not one that is to her strength. I just want to keep her positive and keep her self esteem high. I do not want her to get to the point where she want’s to quit. If we stop the reading class she will at least get to have an art class og cooking , something fun. What would you do .?
Re: Is thrie a time to give up
If I was tired of fighting the school, I would make a deal with her. I would pull her out of the reading class in exchange for working with me. I would get the book Reading Reflex and start by reviewing the code with her. I would make sure there is not basic knowledge she doesn’t have. The book is about $16.
Fourth grade is where there is a transition to multisyllable words. I understand a certain percentage of kids get stuck there. If Reading Reflex doesn’t have enough practice for her, I’d look at a program called Rewards by Sophis West. I actually haven’t used it (have it ordered). I have seen good reviews on it by teachers and some use it as a followup to Reading Reflex. Some people seem to be able to get multisyllable words mastered using Reading Reflex. I certainly would try that first.
I also would have her read with me 20 minutes a day. Books like Laura Ingalls Little House books are fourth grade level and still interesting (at least in my opinion—I sometimes still read my daughter’s).
Beth
Re: Is thrie a time to give up
Hi Sue,
You’ve gotten good information from the others. I used Reading Reflex with my son - and it helped him a lot.
My son is in fourth grade. We are working on multi-syllable words. We “buddy” read. I tell him he has to do it for at least 20 minutes a day. We finally found a book that he was interested in, so it wasn’t torture. The book was called “The Cay” and was an adventure about a 12 year old boy. Apparently the Gary Paulsen books are also engaging. I know I enjoyed the book almost as much as he did. These books are geared toward boys, but your daughter might like a change of pace.
These are just a couple of suggestions for reading material at home. I discovered the school really can’t help my son with reading, and I have to do that myself.
Yup!
Personally I think your relationship with your daughter would improve if you respect her wishes — and expect her to respect yours and work with you (or a tutor or mentor). She may be resistant to reading with you since she might not want to demonstrate daily just how “stupid” she is. (I have explained countless times that reading at a fourth grade level does *not* mean you belong in fourth grade, no way… simply means that on a test, you had trouble reading words at that level — but if you weren’t reading htem, you knew them and you know tons and tons more than fourth graders so the best thing to do is to go back and figure out how to READ THOSE WORDS!)
Or — you could “trade” off by having her develop some other interest like martial arts — but something that owuld be positive and build discipline, not, say, high-risk behavior.
But in my experience, when the teenager is fighting what you’re doing, there’s only so much you can do.
‘bout the only way I’d say “tell her to get back to work” is if letting her out of this class is going to mean she is even less involved in schoolwork, and isn’t involved in other constructive stuff. (I think a lot would also depend on my impression of the teacher. If you were sending the message that you were both refusing to give up on her… that’s a good message. But if you’re not sure that the class is really doing her any good, and there are lots of reasons that the class could basically be BS, with a teacher trying to get through each day as much as the students are, then you daily reinforce that teenage presumption that Parents Don’t Understand The Real WOrld.)
Re: Is thrie a time to give up
Give up on this particular teacher, not on your daughter.
Get good materials and *teach* her how to read. Most schools don’t actually teach and it is amazing how much improvement kids show when they get what they really need. PG has been recommended; I can recommend other materials and methods as well if you want to email me — all it takes is time and work.
Yes, take her out of the reading class that has proved its uselessness and get her into art or music or something worth doing with her time. Fight with the school and see if she can also get out of the apparently pointless study period too — see if you can get someone to recommend art and music as “therapy” for her.
Consider letting her have a five-year program in high school and taking even more electives, the stuff *she* wants to do. This can sometimes be done formally, or it can happen informally if she doesn’t pass English or History — talk to the teacher and explain that you do NOT want a pass out of kindness.
Re: Is thrie a time to give up
The program that the Teacher is doing with her is SRA Reading Labs. She picks a story , reads it and answers the questions. The T say’s that he is going to start working with her 3 times a week one on one. She get’s very anxious whrn he dose this as she says she dose not understand him. He sits and talks to her . I don’t feel that she is gong to learn this way. She needs some kind of creative activities to do to show her understanding of reading . She is not a big talker , even more so when it comes to school.I do not thing she would ever go for 5 years of HS. She has a twin sister who is on grade level I can not emagine making her sit in the audience and watch her twin graduate without her. I have bought the reading reflex book and I am trying to decide if I can help her. I am leary if I can help her. As I may be facing Open Heart Surgery within the next 6 mo I am leary to just pull her out of reading. I am sure if I do the School will make me sign something saying I refuse services. I was thinking I might see if I can cut down hew program to 1 day of speach, for hrlp in language , and 2 days og reading with the othe 2 day being her resource study this freeing up at least one period for a elictive.
Re: Is thrie a time to give up
Sue, they are not using the right kind of program to help your daughter read better. That SRA program is for comprehension. It does not teach her how to decode words. You are correct that sometimes the mom is not the one to do the tutoring. Do you have another family member or friend who might work with her? I am wondering if the person working on speech and language might consider doing it? Why won’t you take her the book and ask?
Janis
Re: Is thrie a time to give up
Janis is right. They’re keeping her busy, not teaching her. SHe’d be better off being a library assistant who’d show her the best books and be her friend.
there is no time to give up...
Okay by reading your post it seems to me they are violating her right to equal access of an HS curriculum by making her take reading as an elective.
§ 104.37 Nonacademic services.
(a) General. (1) A recipient to which this subpart applies shall provide non‑academic and extracurricular services and activities in such manner as is necessary to afford handicapped students an equal opportunity for participation in such services and activities.
(2) Nonacademic and extracurricular services and activities may include counseling services, physical recreational athletics, transportation, health services, recreational activities, special interest groups or clubs sponsored by the recipients, referrals to agencies which provide assistance to handicapped persons, and employment of students, including both employment by the recipient and assistance in making available outside employment.
(b) Counseling services. A recipient to which this subpart applies that provides personal, academic, or vocational counseling, guidance, or placement services to its students shall provide these services without discrimination on the basis of handicap. The recipient shall ensure that qualified handicapped students are not counseled toward more restrictive career objectives than are nonhandicapped students with similar interests and abilities.
(c) Physical education and athletics. (1) In providing physical education courses and athletics and similar aid, benefits, or services to any of its students, a recipient to which this subpart applies may not discriminate on the basis of handicap. A recipient that offers physical education courses or that operates or sponsors interscholastic, club, or intramural athletics shall provide to qualified handicapped students an equal opportunity for participation.
(2) A recipient may offer to handicapped students physical education and athletic activities that are separate or different from those offered to nonhandicapped students only if separation or differentiation is consistent with the requirements of §104.34 and only if no qualified handicapped student is denied the opportunity to compete for teams or to participate in courses that are not separate or different.
this is sections of 504 laws. A student with a disability and an IEP is also protected by this law. Basicly the school can not make her take a particular elective ,because she is LD. They MUST however teach her to read,and they MUST teach her to read using what methods she needs and is reccomended on her evaluation. They must do this under IDEA,under NCLB act,and 504.
They must provide her with equal opportunity to participate in nonacademic activities. The crappiest thing here is,most LD kids,do well,excel ,and enjoy art,music,etc.
My son had this same problem. Classes that did not focus on his strengths but made him feel his weaknesses. Sadly there wasn’t much we found to do about it. He took a martial arts class on the outside of school that worked to keep up his self esteem as he was good at that. And I kept telling him school isn’t forever.
If fighting with the school hasn’t gotten you anything thus far, maybe try fighting with them to get her out of the reading class she hates so much. Clearly it isn’t helping her in any way.
If you want to help her in reading, do it at home. If she would read 20 minutes a day - at a level comfortable for her - it always helps and never hurts. It’s hard to find books at 4th grade that she might enjoy. Maybe try Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. I find that 20 minutes of day of comfortable reading often does more than reading class.
Good luck.