I have a 6 yr old son dx’d with a Specific Learning Disability. He learns something one moment then forgets it the next moment. He was in an integrated classroom last year. This upcoming school year he will in a regular classroom but will go to a resource room for extra help. I work alot with him at home. I could use help staying motivated. So I’m starting this thread in the hopes that others will join in this discussion. So parents how do you stay motivated? What are you teaching at home? Do you use a reward system? What are your favorite resources? And please share any success stories about your hard work paying off. Well meaning people are always discouraging me from doing extra academics at home. The prevailing common wisdom is to do nothing in the hopes that he will catch up by himself once he matures - “let boys be boys.” I know better - it will only get harder. He needs to learn to read now because it is easier to learn to read while young. Anyway I need to keep my eye on prize. I’m hoping for support in this area. So please be my “teaching buddy” so I don’t feel like I’m teaching alone. My goal is to have my son work on his phonics at the very least 3x’s per week. I really would love it if he was wiling to do it daily but that would be miracle. So please share your thoughts on this matter.
Lori
Re: Keeping motivated
Thanks for the support, Aly. I checked out Kumon today in anticipation of the upcoming school year. It doesn’t seem like a good option for us. I’m afraid it would be too demanding. We are still plugging away. I got my son to read 2 books with me this week. He read many of the sight words by himself - hooray. I wish there was more time to prepare for the new school year.
Lori
Re: Re: Re: Keeping motivated
Kumon is a “supplemental education program” focused specifically on math and reading. The kids go after school twice per week to work on academics at their own speed. Their instructor assigns the work according to each kid’s abilities. They work at their desk independently then the instructor gives feedback. Also they have homework every day including weekends and holidays. The instructor tracks their progress and rewards their success. The kids earn higher levels like how karate kids earn belts. I wonder whether it is based on asian style cram schools. I think they are assigned 10 worksheets per day; each is supposed to take 2 or 3 minutes to complete. It is an effort to even get my son to write his own name so I don’t think it would work for us. I think the monthly fee is $110. Here is the link:
www.kumon.com
Lori
[Modified by: Lori on August 27, 2009 09:01 PM]
[Modified by: Lori on August 28, 2009 03:23 PM]
Keeping motivated
Got it. I would say a different route should be explored. Have you heard of handwriting without tears? I have heard it is good, but have not seen it myself.
Re: Re: Keeping motivated
Aly,
I just checked out their website. It looks interesting and affordable. Besides fine motor issues, he forgets the symbol for each letter. It is truely amazing that somehome he is learning to read. When I sit back and think about it, I am baffled but very grateful. Maybe the rote practice would improve his handwriting and letter recall all at once. School is starting on Thursday so I may wait until we get into a comfortable routine.
Thanks again, Lori
[Modified by: Lori on August 31, 2009 03:17 PM]
Lori,
Never give up. I know it is hard, but as Henry Winkler has said, he has greatness in him. You might want to do some reading with him where you read slowly, moving your finger under the text of a book on his level. Then you two can read together, then take turns reading (all the same book), finally he reads. I recommend “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” because there is a lot of repetition.