Reading help for difficult child

shellyd67

Active Member
difficult child is going to begin special reading classes to help him with his comprehension.

husband and I are totally on board and asked to meet with the Teacher heading up the program.

I just found out today and haven't discussed it with difficult child yet.

He is going to wig out about it and probably tantrum and say he is not participating.

He has low self esteem so this is going to send him over the edge.

He really needs the help and it is only 1 day per week for an hour.

Any suggestions for transitioning him smoothly?
 
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HaoZi

Guest
I'd like to hear some, mine is also having comprehension issues. She's a great reader, she just doesn't comprehend it. I've considered printing out the lyrics to some songs she like and sitting down with her to help her with basic comprehension and reading between the lines (she takes things very literal).
 
we always found it easiest to transition at a natural point in the school year--end of a trimester, after a break, etc.

maybe it would be work to start in a few weeks, right after they come back from thanksgiving (given, of course, breaks aren't a cause of difficulty for yours)

and i might slant the discussion to what an honor it is to be in the class, you must have worked hard to qualify for this, aren't you the luckiest kid in the world....again, provided yours views those things as good....for mine, the thought of needing extra help is cause for hysterics, but if she thinks its some kind of an "award" she's down with it. :-D

its a fine line, LOL...i try to imply and not outright lie....but hey, one does what they have to!
 

DaisyFace

Love me...Love me not
Shelley--

I think the approach may depend on when the classes are...

If the reading sessions are at the end of the school day, it should be pretty easy to explain "tutoring" as an extra thing that a lot of kids do after school. Chances are, a lot of his classmates already go to afterschool lessons and programs of all kinds.

If the reading class is during the school day, where he may have to get pulled out of his regular class....maybe find out what he will be missing and play it like "You get to skip Math on Tuesdays!".
 

shellyd67

Active Member
Thanx everyone ! HaoZi my difficult child is a great reader (always top in fluency since K) but comprehension is so poor.

Because he was so fluent the ball was dropped by school and us.

husband and I thought for a very long time that he just didn't like to read.

Boys will be boys we were told so many times. He loves certain books and has NO problem with comprehending them.

I know he is going to freak out and think he is dumb, stupid and some other words I am sure he will use. Tears are inevitable.

We are not going to mention it just yet as classes don't start til after Thanksgiving break.

:anxious: Just trying to find some gentle way to explain this all to him. I know these classes will only benefit him.
 
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ShanDiann

Guest
When you meet with the teacher, find out if any other kids from the class are going. That may make the transition easier if he doesn't have to go it alone. I tutor some of my students after school and usually by the end I have kids ( even the difficult child's ) begging to stay. Maybe if he feels like it is a special privilege it will help.
 

shellyd67

Active Member
Thanx ShanDiann, I will definetly do that ... He is currently in 4th grade and when he brings home his tests he either has 100 or a 70? Go figure ? He is very well behaved in school and usually outwardly attentive so he is a hard egg to crack ... His teacher is EXTREMELY laid back and that is not good for difficult child. I email his teacher occasionally and he is always caught off guard when I ask any questions. He actually had no clue difficult child was going to the reading program??? husband and I meet with him next week for conferences so we shall see ...
 

Jena

New Member
hi

i'm so glad to hear how the school is doing that, after break is awesome also. at the end of the day like daisy said i agree also it can be explained as she said tutoring, etc. he's an avid reader, anyway to kinda twist it a little say that because he's such an awesome reader he can also help other kids that are having issues with-reading? do they allow kids to read aloud in the class, how many kids are there? maybe just maybe you can throw out a suggestion and ask if he and other kids can read aloud to the class their favorite book to begin,
 
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