My son is going to flunk 1st grade

[winnieb]

My son brought me a note yesterday from his teacher. First off, the note was dated 3/29/05--my son gave it to me yesterday-- not a good start.

The note said he was being recommended for retention. She wrote his math skills are good, social skills are good, lots of friends, etc. but his reading skills are lower than where they should be.

I understand the reason, he needs a good foundation to build upon-- but my kid isn't suppose to be held back.

He has been in the reading recovery program in school this year and is improving, but he is not on the reading level he should be.

I called Sylvan Learning Center today to get him signed up for the testing, so he could get back on track. Sylvan better work-- they are a freaking fortune. $48 an hour, you can prepay in 100 block installments foir a discount of $45 an hour. But if it works it will be worth it.

I have an email out to the teacher to see if Sylvan will help enough that he won't have to be held back. I talked to him last night-- poor guy was so upset.

-wendi

[Rudey]

WWCD?

-Rudey

[carnation]

Check out summer school in your district. We know of several children who went and the teacher decided that they'd picked up enough to be promoted after all.

[Taualumna]

Wendi,

Are there any students studying education in your area who might want to help your son? College kids are not going to charge you an arm and a leg for tutoring.

Best wishes,

Cynthia

[chideltjen]

Originally posted by Taualumna
Wendi,

Are there any students studying education in your area who might want to help your son? College kids are not going to charge you an arm and a leg for tutoring.

Best wishes,

Cynthia

Maybe not even that high... try high school students looking for community service hours and even jr. high kids with higher GPAs. But I would go the Sylvan route as a last resort. My brother did something similar... Kumon, I believe. I don't think it did him much good or at least that's what he said.

[Rio_Kohitsuji]

As someone who is getting a Reading Assessment certificate, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not make your son go to Sylvan! All that Sylvan does is have one-on-one time with the student, that is all. Also, that is all it takes I would highly suggest that you have an Education student (an "Early Childhood would be best) to help your son. It can help the student and your son, believe me!


If you don't mind telling me, what kind of reading problems is he having? Is he just missing sight words or having trouble with phonics? Does he comphrehend well his reading selection yet prounciates the words incorrectly or the ther way around?

You can PM me also!!

[polarpink]

For what it is worth, I second not going to Sylvan. Some of the students I know who have utilized their services were not satisified with their results for the amount of money spent.

I would second looking into tutors in the area. Hopefully, you live in an area with college students around (I would go with a college student as opposed to a HS one because of the maturity level and because of the education behind them). I would expect to pay around $20/hour. I would call your local college's education department and ask the advisor how to recommend recruiting someone. Sometimes, depending on the size of the university, all you need is a flier with your information on it, and you should get some calls.

Good luck with this!

[AGDLynn]

Wendi..pm'ed you about possible Alpha Gam help

[EtaPhiZTA]

Wendi -
As a first grade teacher, I was shocked as I read your post. I can't believe your child's teacher would send a note home about an issue as important as retention. In my school district, the process for considering retention is a very comprehensive one. There is a lot of documentation that needs to be filed as well as multiple conferences with the parent, teacher, and a member of our administration (usually the principal). I encourage you to contact your child's teacher about the possibility of not retaining your child; it sounds like he has a solid base with his social skills and other academics. Reading Recovery is an excellent program that is designed for students just like your son; with that extra assistance, I would hesitate to retain him.

As far as tutoring, I would also agree with the other posters who suggested exploring your options. While I have seen some success with students who have gone to Sylvan, it is a "canned" program. Working with an individual tutor could be a more cost-effective and successful option for your son. A program could be build around his specific needs and interests.

Your son is very lucky to have such a caring mom who wants to see him succeed. I wish you all the luck in the world; please keep us informed about what is happening.

Courtney

[Lady Pi Phi]

I'm not a teacher, nor is education my specialty, but when I was in highschool I went to Sylvain for math. I did not help me one bit. I was not given the attention I needed from sylvian and they did not help me with the remidial math skills I needed. It was an afterschool program where I did my homework, and i wasn't even helped with that.

Do not send your son to Sylvain.

[AznSAE]

look on the positive side. i dont know if this was state-wide or just district only, but if he does get held back and kicks azz in high school by graduating in 3 years, he recieves a $1000 scholarship and still graduates with his original class. they did that at my school.

[AchtungBaby80]

I'm no expert so I can't really offer an advice, except to echo what others have said (Try Sylvan only as a last resort--they are way overpriced and an individual tutor could probably do just as well!). My mom once told me that my kindergarten teacher was going to recommend that I be retained--yes, I was about to fail kindergarten --but apparently I improved so much during the last couple months of school that I got to go on to first grade with the rest of my class. Maybe it'll be the same in your son's case...there's still time!

[winnieb]

Thank you everyone for your input.
To answer some of your questions--- my son has issues with his sight words-- often a complete lack of recognition. The Reading Recovery program gives him 30 minutes one on one with a teacher each day. He brings home a book to read every night. For the most part he does great with reading those books, but anything else is a nightmare.

I emailed the teacher this afternoon and still have not received a response. I am very surprised I received a letter sent home in the backpack as well. I would expect that something as serious as retention would have resulted in a phone call, conferencing, etc.

Regarding summer school, he is already enrolled. Our district used the Summer Adventure program by Newton Learning. I am not sure how much teaching is done; I do know the students get paid for attending ($100 for perfect attendance).

Regarding Sylvan, thank you for the input. We are going to do the test. When I talked to the lady in charge of the early reading program she is a certified teacher but just moved her in Jan and has not got certified in MO yet.
Thank you for your input- I will post when I know something

Wendi

[omegamcgee]

My brother was faced with a similar situation when he was in first grade. He is honestly better at math than I, a college sophomore, am, but he can't read well because of dyslexia. While I don't recommend you take the extreme action my mom did (she pulled him out and is homeschooling him), I do suggest you look into other options. Maybe it has to do with the teacher? That's what part of my bro's problem was. Also, instead of Sylvan, try to see if you have a local literacy council. My mom works at one, and that's where my brother goes for tutoring. They are usually free, and it's all volunteers, so it's people who want to be there. Good luck, and I hope everything works out!!

[Kevlar281]

My mother taught me how to read when I was three. I even won an award for it in the first grade but I was categorized as slow because I struggled with math. My father tutored me with math when ever he was onshore but it quickly became apparent that I needed extra help. My parents turned to Sylvan Learning center for outside resources. I can honestly say that it was a complete waste of time. It would have been cheaper for my parents to sit me down at the kitchen table and force me to do my homework. The only good thing about SLC is that I picked up a few dates while I was there.

/sidenote: Even though my math skills border on unbelievable my reading and writing skills have always been above testing standards. Please do not take your sons short comings in a subject area as a deterrent. As important as it is to encourage him to improve it is almost as important to encourage him in his strengths. I promise your encouragement will help balance him out more then any paid tutor.

/sidenote x 2: I’m fucking wasted.