Hi. I have an 11 year old daughter just finishing 5th grade and her first year of middle school. My question for you all is what to do this summer in terms of balancing tutoring with her recently plummeting self-esteem.
She was diagnosed with LD, specifically dyslexia, in the beginning of 2nd grade, and began receiving pull-out support then. After struggling with decoding, spelling, writing and reading in general for two years, she came to me and asked for outside help. She was and continues to be extremely motivated to do better. She started the Wilson Reading Program two years ago, and is now finishing Book 9. She has not had a recent battery of testing — that will be done this summer. Her recent Gates testing put her at a 6.3 grade level. For 5th grade, she was mainstreamed, which she enjoyed immensely. She reads all classroom materials on her own, and does all required assignments along with extra credit. She has befriended the PC, specifically Spellcheck and writes 500 word pieces on her own. Proofing is not her favorite thing to do, but she is getting better at it. I also go over her written work with her. She has a strong love of reading and books. Last summer she read about 20 books on her own, and has compiled a list to do likewise this summer.
Math is a strength, a joy and a source of pride to her. She participates in an accelerated math program — she is one of just 15 kids involved in this program for 5th grade. There are 250 kids in her grade.
She is a great kid. She is active in band, chorus, and swimming.
Here’s the problem/issue that I need input on. For the last two summers, she has had 3 Wilson sessions a week and 3 reading comprehension/writing sessions a week. This imposes a rigid schedule on her and on the entire family for a time of year when you would hope the opposite is true, especially since she works so hard during the school year. I have received conflicting points of view regarding whether or not she needs to complete the entire Wilson Program — through Book 12. Her Wilson tutor says yes, the school and other tutors we have befriended say no. Her reading has improved a lot. She still is somewhat choppy, decodes well on the long words, but adds/deletes/changes the very little words once in a while. Her classroom teacher believes her focus at this point should be reading comprehension and writing, not Wilson. And as for my daughter… she continues to have great attitude all things considered, but is tiring of the Wilson structure and sessions. She also is starting to feel more sensitive about herself as a learner in reading, spelling and writing. SHe is completing her first year of middle school, in a class of where she knew no one coming in, and has made only one casual friend. Other kids have actively rejected her, and put her down because she is not a great out-loud reader, not a great speller in her writing (although is bound and determined to ace weekly tests) and gets to have accommodations on standardized tests. She still has her grade school friends, but they are not in class with her and do not share her lunch hour.
WHat’s a mother to do?
Re: Personally, I would.....
drop the Wilson and do some other things this summer instead.
The choppy reading can likely be improved by doing repetitive timed readings at home (there’s a methodology for it I can dig out, or someone here can post how to do it). You could also do Great Leaps at home (http://www.greatleaps.com), a program that doesn’t take much time each day and works specifically on developing fluency with the “little” words. These are both great ways to improve reading fluency, they are inexpensive, and they can be done at home — which offers great scheduling flexibility. You don’t have to be a “teacher” to do these things — just an interested adult!
Does your dd have good comprehension when she listens to stories? If her comprehension is poor only when she herself is doing the reading, then it’s most likely that her lack of reading fluency is holding back comprehension. If that is the case, improving fluency will automatically improve comprehension.
Sometimes reading is choppy because of developmental vision delays. You may want to take her to a developmental optometrist for evaluation. This kind of eval includes about 20 tests of visual function not included in a regular eye exam. You can find certified developmental optometrists in your area at http://www.covd.org
Audiblox (http://www.audiblox2000.com) offers some good exercises for improving visual processing. This is another program that is inexpensive and home-based. However, it doesn’t work directly on academic remediation. Instead, it works at training cognitive skills, which form the foundation for academic learning.
The book “How to Increase Your Child’s Verbal IQ” by Carmen & Geoffrey McGuiness has a lot of activities that would be fun and easy to do at home this summer. Their book “Reading Reflex” makes it really easy for a parent to work with a child on decoding skills (which can also help spelling).
The chapter on spelling in “Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills” edited by Judith Birsh is excellent. You can probably get the book from inter-library loan.
Really, it comes down to a judgment call on your part. The Wilson tutor is likely to be heavily biased in favor of finishing Wilson, but that doesn’t mean it’s the optimal course of action for your daughter. I think you’ve cited a lot of good reasons to do something else this summer. My personal bent is towards some relaxed homeschooling. You might be able to combine this with other activities that develop your dd’s strengths. My own dd has found that excelling in something (in her case, swimming and drawing) has helped boost her social standing in the classroom, and I have observed that they boost her self-esteem and self-confidence as well.
Mary
Re: Continue with Wilson or Not?/Summer Tutoring Recommendat
As the summer approaches, you face a dilemma that many parents face. Continue your daughter’s academic focus or begin another avenue. Just like Mike, I too am a resource teacher. When reading your letter, it seems to me that your daughter has worked very hard during the past years, both during the academic year, and during the summers. It has taken its toll on you and your daughter. At this point in time, Your daughter has progressed to Level Nine in Wilson ( I am familiar with the program.). She also has read her assignments on her own, and has not received accomodations in reading, so, I would be inclined to recommend taking a break from the regimented Wilson Tutoring and writing for the Summer. Perhaps not completely, maybe continuing at a rate of once per week for an hour, instead of three times for reading and spelling. If your daughter is determined to read on her own, then she will do so.
I taught students with Learning Differences for six years in the middle school and I also am LD (diagnosed when I was 12), so I know how hard this age is. Self esteem, friends and self-confidence are so very important. These life skills are as important as the academics skills , because they teach us about the importance of relating to one another, and they are much more difficult to develop them later on in life. Activities sponsored by local organizations such as camps, could be an excellent outlet for your daughter to meet individuals for different schools, backgrounds and experience new adventures that would enhance her self-concept and build her self-esteem. Another suggestion would be an activity like outdoor-adventure day camps, where students engage in team-building exercises, that are challenging, and also focus on building self-confidence, and self-worth, when a task is completed with the help of the team. .
Re: Continue with Wilson or Not?/Summer Tutoring Recommendat
It’s fair to say first I’m not a big fan of Wilson so take my advice with a grain of salt, I suppose. But… you say your daughter is now decoding the big words well but adds/deletes/changes the little words. Sounds like something has been a success then. As I understand Wilson, it’s goal is to help a student decode and she’s doing that. What harm would a break do her?
Especially given the very full schedule she’s been carrying. I’m impressed that any family or any child could do six tutoring sessions a week in addition to school and still be upright. It must get exhausting.
As to her social situation, you could try to cultivate that casual friend over the summer with some invitations and keep up with the grade school friends too.
Does she have an advisor? Maybe someone could make sure at least one of her friends shares her lunch hour or is even in her homeroom or a class or two. At my school we get and honor such requests.
Good luck.
Update on Wilson or Not to Wilson
Hi everyone:
Thank you for your thoughtful and prompt responses. Your input has been extremely helpful in making our decision to drop Wilson. Interestingly, when I talked to her Wilson tutor, she, too, thought that was the way to go. THanks, too, for the suggestions on other activities we can do at home, and recommendations on the social front.
Here’s to a great summer for everyone!
I understand your dilemma. I am a resource teacher and I too am torn between recommending some kids for summer tutoring and giving them a break. Is there any kind of summer camp or summer enrichment program in your area? I met help her with her confidence and social skills. Honestly, I am not an expert on the Wilson Program, but I can’t see the harm in cutting her some slack if she has made that much progress. The one thing I try to teach my kids is that life is all about balance: to much of anything (including studying) is not always a good thing. In your situation, give her an opportunity to take part in this decision. Try to come out to some sort of compromise.
Hope this helps!
Mike