Connie Johnson

well probably a bit of both - he realizes that his friends and other kids that
he knows that are his age and younger are reading -




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> i have been reading about dyslexia - and it sounds exactly like
> that - so of course now i am feeling guilty about not getting him
> help earlier! and am questioning the whole unschooling thing!

I understand you feel frustrated, but I don't think labeling him is a good idea.
If a child isn't developmentally ready to read, no amount of verbal pushing,
worksheets, textbooks, or simple readers are going to change that. Surely that
causes frustration on both sides. That is why some kids have learning disability
labels. I think teachers are offended when a child doesn't learn under their
instruction, especially with all the "help" used. I have never understood that
belief because I had college classes in early childhood education that focused on
learning about developmental skills. Those skills just cannot be hurried anymore
than someone can make a child walk or talk earlier.

I think others are offering great advice. I have one question though. Did your son
decide he was ready to read, or have you or someone else nudged him because of his
age?

Beth M.





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Sandra Dodd

-=-well probably a bit of both - he realizes that his friends and
other kids that
he knows that are his age and younger are reading -=-

It would help kids to know that some others their age are not reading,
or that some kids who say they are reading aren't really. Especially
school kids, who might get "straight A's in reading" and not be able
to read anything but their reading books or other "graded" materials
(things written specifically for them to be able to read with their
limited skills).

I think the biggest problem with lots of people is the idea that their
situation is unique, that they're the last one, that they're the only
one, that they're behind, deficient...

With my kids when they came and said "Jesse can do [something] and I
can't," I would say something like "Jimmy can too, but Jesse can't
skate as well as you can, and Jimmy isn't as nice to his sister."

If you focus on what they can do, and remember that learning can be
done without reading, and that there are LOTS of things to do while
he's getting to the point that all those words come to make sense,
then you're helping him as a person (not as a reader or non-reader,
because that's not an either/or, black-or-white thing either).

I was worried with Holly, and I felt bad for her, and I knew she would
read. She wanted me to get the 100 Lessons book, and I stalled and
finally bought a used copy. I thought it was dreadful, but went
through a couple of the pages with her. She just wasn't ready, but I
offered a few times to work with her, and both she and I moved more
toward other interests and projects--art, her pet rats, clothes/
fashion. Dolls.

When her reading did kick in it flooded in. A friend of hers (kind of
a bully friend) also had pet rats, and had a book about rats Holly
wanted me to get her. I did. Holly could read then, and she read a
section the other girl had "read" to her. The other girl had been
making stuff up. The information she had given Holly, with that page
open, was *not* what the book said. Very illuminating for Holly.

Sandra

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