Skip to main content

Learning How to Read

Who knew it could be so hard to teach a six-year-old little boy how to read? A show of hands, please. Ok, you bunch of know-it-alls, hands down.

Maybe I'm delusional but I seriously didn't expect to discover such jaw-clenching frustration during this phase of my son's education. The truth is reality has become a mockery of my parental expectations. Maybe I thought he'd get it by osmosis or maternal telepathy (reading has always been so easy for me!). I'm not sure how I managed to convince myself he'd be able to grasp the intricacies of reading but I did. Not only would he be able to grasp all the rules, he'd get the exceptions, too.

Insert a big, fat "Ha!" here.

Oh, he's learning, but not as fast as the school seems to think he should. And I hate the feeling that they think my kid is dumb. Stupid. Challenged. I don't care what terminology you apply, it stinks just the same. He is none of these things. He's a boy. A very busy, easily distracted, eager to play, little boy.

I realize the school has to test him like a cowpoke herds cattle but I don't have to like it. Forcing him to meet state and federal regulations at the expense of his self-confidence pisses me off. He's learning. He can read his sight words and then some. Admittedly, he has some trouble with his vowel sounds: he can't keep them straight.

And the rules...by golly, the rules are totally escaping him. Simple rules like "if there's an e on the end, the vowel in the middle says it's name." This one trips him up every time!

I don't know how to help him. He reads to me, I read to him. We do flashcards. I found online books for him to read. I take him to the library.

What can I do to help him learn this stuff? Why is he not getting it?




Begin Minor Side-Rant:
This year in addition to learning how to read, they've given him spelling words. Not a big deal except when they send home this week's list with same-sounding words like there and their. Is it just me or does it seem a wee bit early for this kind of trickery? There's no conceivable way kids who are just learning how to read are going to be able to use these words in their proper context. Asking them to is asinine.
End Minor Side-Rant.

Comments

  1. Actually, I had no idea how difficult it could be. Is your son and 'a-ha' learner? There are some kids who just don't seem to progress at all and then suddenly they get it. My sister was that way. She practically failed her first three years of school and then it suddenly started making sense.

    Maybe pushing it isn't the answer, no matter what the school wants. Kids learn differently, and at different rates.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Camping with Little Boys

  Our first travel trailer. I don't remember camping much with my family as a kid. This is likely because we always had the same vacation destination: a family plot in Baldwin, MI. There was no cabin there. Instead, there were two structures: a small, silver camper and an old single-wide trailer. The silver camper is gone but the single-wide still sits there and is used by extended family members to this day.  It wasn't until I was a teenager that my step-mom and dad bought a pop-up trailer and we started camping elsewhere in the state. My memory isn't the greatest, but I'm almost certain they got the pop-up after I started dating Ken. Eventually, my parents upgraded to a fifth wheel that my dad still pulls around to various nearby camping spots. Ken, by contrast, didn't have a set vacation destination growing up. His family camped. They started out with a truck-bed camper, I believe, and eventually upgraded to a fifth wheel.  Ken and I vacationed both in Baldwin an

They saved the finger..

This was supposed to be an easy, carefree weekend.  One of those rare weekends where spontaneity is possible because plans were not made ahead of time.  We could lounge on the couch, work on our hobbies, or even do a little shopping.  And, no, I'm not referring to the necessary evil of grocery shopping, but the much more enjoyable version where you get to buy things that actually make you happy. Because the oldest boy needed some pants and the youngest could use a new pair of shoes, I decided to head into the city to do some shopping at Kohl's.  Of course, my decision to shop there was not quite so altruistic.  Mama needed a new bathing suit! So, I pack the kids up and head into the city.  The youngest picks out his shoes . The oldest tries on a few pairs of jeans and ends up with two in the basket.  Did I mention we have to shop in the men's department now?  That he's wearing size 29?  My baby is growing up! Then it was Mom's turn.  I was looking ove

It Should Be Our 28th Wedding Anniversary

I had to do the math twice. Probably because I'm really bad at math. Today should have been our 28th wedding anniversary. We only made it to 26, which is so impressive when you consider how many marriages end in divorce.  So, because I have no doubt in my mind we would have been married still today had cancer not taken him, I want to honor our special day. So, here's a Happy Should Have Been Anniversary to my hubby in heaven.  Today, as I recognize what should have been and think about what was, I figured I'd share not only some lovely pictures from our wedding day but I'd explain how this widow plans to move through October 15, 2022.  In just a little bit, I'm joining another Millington widow at a Widow's Luncheon, which is being hosted by the Amish Church in Millington. I'm a bit nervous, to be honest, because I don't know what to expect. On my best days, I consider mys