Weak Reader, Post
Weak Reader
Every parent wants their child to learn to read. The Weak Reader causes their parents anything from concern to panic. Distressed parents have come to me about reports from the
school. They want another opinion. “Is my child that far behind?” But even worse is this question, “Why is our child being referred to the School Psychologist for testing?”
There’s a great Arabic proverb and it says, “Trust in God but tie up your camel” and I give that advice in different words: I test the child for them with teaching materials. I can usually say, “Stop worrying – but take extra steps”.
Link to a similar topic: Behind The Scene in Schools, Post,
To get your bearings on this site go to: Early Secondary School, Page Upper Primary School, Page , Middle Primary School, Page, “What’s On This Website” Page
Case Study: A 7 year old in Grade 1 has made great progress over a six month period through a one-to-one tutor. Each lesson has been an hour. He was about 12 months behind in reading, say at a mid-Prep level. Now he would be Grade 2 standard. But the classroom teacher reports to the parent that he is 6 months behind. He attends a school-tutored group for weak readers. The parent does not believe what the school tells her. Schools do not always have up to date information on a child’s progress!
Take control but work with the school too: Then there’s the opposite situation where the classroom teacher says that the child is doing quite alright. But the parents believe the child is struggling and can’t get enough detail from the teachers.
It may be hard to work out why your child is behind. There could be many reasons. Although the title of this Post is Weak Reader, other areas such as Numeracy would be red flags for the teacher as well. The most obvious reason is that your child gets distracted in class. They may not be tuned in yet.
I tell parents who are worried about a referral to the School Psychologist: The school is taking the right steps. We don’t want children falling through the gaps. If there is a problem we want it identified early. And that is a good thing.
All children, or let’s say, most children, require explicit instruction. I say the same to parents of all children. But parents of children with a learning difficulty need the same information but a lot more support, ideas and help to supplement the child’s learning.
This link takes you to “Why the Minister should act boldly on changes to schooling for children with disabilities” on the EduResearch Matters website. It makes the point that children with disabilities should not be home-schooled because of the limitations of the school, but out of choice only. It is a succinct, easy to read post about the ongoing lack of funding despite continual investigations and reports. While it expressly discusses New South Wales, comments indicate this is nation-wide. A worthwhile read: https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?s=home+schooling
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