When my neighbor realized that his son, Joshua, was barely reading at age eight and in the third grade, he was upset--to put it mildly. Full of anger and hurt he came to see me. He was angry because he felt that the school had let Joshua down. He was hurt because no one else in his family had had trouble in school. Why was he finding out about this problem only at the end of Joshua's third-grade year?
My neighbor was also terribly worried about his son's future. Could he recover? If he never learned to read, could he get a job?
"What does the school tell you?" I asked.
"Only that Joshua is having trouble and that he has low scores," he replied. "What can I do?"
"You need more information," I said, "Get your legs in gear. Go to the school. Ask for the scores, all of Joshua's scores; ask for anecdotal information from his teachers; ask for interpretations and recommendations from everyone. Especially, find out how Joshua has been taught. Don't worry! They'll talk to you."
Take Action!
Many parents seem reluctant to ask the school for information, but they shouldn't be. Schools keep a permanent record on each child. That record will include various test scores and probably anecdotal information from each teacher.
If you insist on your right to see the records in your child's school file, you may discover the answers to your questions about his or her school progress. You may also prompt the school to look more closely for a solution to your child's underachievement problems.
No low-performing child need ever arrive in the fourth year of school without having received a specific analysis of the problem and specific attempts to help that child achieve success. The consequences to your child of repeated frustration may have devastating long-term effects. Don't hold back!
Insist on a New Approach
My neighbor gathered information from the principal, teachers, and the school counselor. He and his wife asked for recommendations from each of the school people whom they interviewed.
"What did you learn?" I asked him later.
"My son is an average child," he answered. "Everybody says that they don't know exactly why he shouldn't be reading easily, but he isn't. He seems interested in listening to the stories that are read in class, and he participates in discussions about those stories. He just can't read them by himself. At home, however, he shows a lot of irritation when we ask him to read the simplest of books. In school, the teacher says that she asks other children to read with Joshua so he can keep up with the class."
"So what were their recommendations?" I asked.
"They think that Joshua may only have been slow to develop in reading and writing. He does average work in most other areas. Now that my wife and I have asked for specific help, the school will have a district psychologist administer further tests. Then we'll see."
"That's a good, positive step," I said. "Did the teachers discuss the methods of instruction that they had used with Joshua?"
"The principal and Joshua's new teacher described their philosophy as one that appeals to the interests of the children. They try to motivate them with high-interest books, and they do a lot of reading aloud with lots of participation in the story discussion."
"Sounds good," I agreed, "but what methods did they use for Joshua when he failed to read?"
"I didn't ask," replied my neighbor. "They said that they believed that their philosophy will work for most children, if applied long enough."
"How long is long enough?" I asked skeptically. "If I were you, I would call the teachers he has had and ask what they did to help Joshua learn beyond their standard method. When you have that information, we may be able to suggest some things for you to try at home--and some things that you can recommend that they try at school."
Focus on the Child
My neighbor's story doesn't end there. To my neighbor's advantage, he did not attack the school or the teachers. He sought information and kept asking questions about the welfare of his child. Since he did not attack the school, the school people did not have to defend themselves. They agreed to search with the parents for a solution.
The school agreed to help with word-attack skills, and my neighbor and I discussed a plan for the family to try at home. It included these guidelines:
The ending to my neighbor's story does not include immediate success. Joshua's low-performance had developed over a number of years. Though it was clear after a few months that he was moving in the right direction, it was also clear that it would take many months of hard work and planned growth by teachers and parents before Joshua would reach the reading skill of the average fourth-grader.
Find Books and Materials
Many books, audio tapes, computer programs, and video tapes are available to guide you in these and many other reading strategies for your child. Ask the teacher and the school counselor for help in finding and in selecting appropriate materials for you and for your child. In this bulletin, we recommend some books and videos that will serve your needs. Your public library is another major resource. Check it out!
The ERIC educational database also has hundreds of documents that can help families understand reading underachievement and find activities that they may use with their children. The ERIC database can be accessed through many libraries and through some commercial on-line vendors, such as Compuserve, as well as the worldwide web. If you are unfamiliar with ERIC, ask a librarian to help you.
Summary Guidelines
When you feel that your child has serious trouble with reading, remember the steps that we followed in working on Joshua's case:
Return to the Table of Contents