SIGH
i have one VERY weak student in my class
the poor guy struggles to read - and just barely literate
i tested him earlier in term 3, and according to my "test"
he is reading at year 2 level! and we are in year 5
his mum is aware of how weak he is
but doesnt seem to do much about it
i have offered to tutor him for 20-30 mins 3 times a week - after school for free.
Just so he can improve his reading skills and not be SO FAR BEHIND
but they basically "disappear" as soon as the school bell rings
before i can catch him and do some concrete work on his basic maths/reading skills.
his reading skills are
soooooooo bad, that he cant do a lot of the maths, spelling, reading or writing test that is required by the government or the school. Only because he cant read the instructions that they are asking or doesnt understand it at all! Especially when its multiple choice test - its easier for him because you just randomly fill in the boxes without looking at the questions at all.
his spelling/handwriting is SOOOO bad he can barely string a sentence together
common everyday words are always spelt wrong
for example
day=dey
button= baten
work=werk
was=whaz
does=duz
the saddest thing is, the poor kid IS VERY AWARE of how weak he is compared to the other kids. he just wants to be normal or even normal weak - he is so self conscious about everything, that he becomes very nervous all the time. he doesnt want the other kids to know how behind he is. and when we do work together after school, you can tell he is really enjoying the sessions, and you can see the concrete progress he is making. he is also very aware of the progress he is making, i just dont understand why the parents arent so co-operative?!!!
and because he is so weak, he cant do a lot of the class activities we do which requires average reading, writing, spelling skills - so he makes up "excuses", i dont feel well, i cant find my sheet of paper, i lost it, i left it at home, anything that will basically allow him to avoid work.
SIGH SIGH SIGH.............. i love teaching, but seeing such a sad case like this just breaks my heart. because if he doesnt learn to do the basics in primary school, god knows who will help him in highschool. he is just going to be another statistic "year 8 students going into highschool
barely reading and writing". he is going to be so lost.
looking at interior decorating mags on the cheap cheap - borrow from the library...
thought i would give this book a try, and see what it was all about... 
heehee... thats me... and thats the bride on the other side? can you see just a bit of her wedding dress?
strut strut click click :o)
a beautiful blue and gold large work bag from balanciaga... how can anyone not love the colours and the softness of the leather....mmmmmmmmmMMMMmmmm
