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Homeschool to Public School and behind in reading...

2K views 15 replies 13 participants last post by  mommy68 
#1 ·
So I have to go back to school (nursing school) and then to work once I get a degree. My dc's are 8,6 and 2. Both the olders have shown NO interest in reading so I never pushed it. I honestly thought I would hs forever. Well things have changed and they have to go, at least for the next 4 years until I am done with school. Dd2 decided she would try out school and I enrolled her into a first grade class today... She LOVE it! Dd1 says NO WAY! Anyway when I went to pick her up, the principle took me aside and was very serious when she informed me that dd2 can not read.... Ugh, yes, I know this!!! They were so concerned and looking at me like I was crazy that I had no obvious concern over the fact! She said she might have to get "support" with kind of a horrified look on her face! I was like GREAT, that sounds great! And she looked even more horrified!!! What am I missing? Shes 6 and she's not reading, is this the end of the world? Dd1 is 8 and not reading that great.... I'm glad I didn't enroll her, they would have thought she was seriously impaired...I know I shouldn't be bothered by this but haven't they seen this before? Should I have dd1 up to par by next Fall for 3rd grade incase she wants to go? Do they all think I'm neglectful and a bad mom?
 
#2 ·
You're fine. My always schooled child didn't read until he was in second grade. As in at all, not a lick. And his teachers were not looking in the mirror asking where they failed this child. He got support, we figured out what he liked to read he's now a junior and just fine.

I would work with your older child in case you have to enrol her next year. She is in the age/ grade range that they are no longer learning to read but reading to learn. But I wouldn't necessarily do anything to formal. She could read a paragraph, you could read a paragraph kind of thing...
 
#3 ·
It does tend to be a concern in school because kids are getting exposure and reading instruction starting in preschool in some areas. By 6, if they aren't reading anything at all, with that much instruction, it's a sign that something could be wrong. Now, your DD hasn't had 2 years of almost daily work and so it's not the same situation but the principal wouldn't necessarily know this.

Sometimes parents react badly to their kids going to resource. It's nothing shameful. It can just be hard to watch your kid get the same instruction for a year or two and still be behind. They may have been prepared for a fight or concerned that you didn't understand what that meant and so acting a little odd. I'd not read too much into faces and such until you have more experience with them.

Your 6-year-old will likely be fine. 1st grade still offers a lot of reading instruction and she'll probably gobble it up quickly. There is always a wide range of abilities in 1st grade and it hasn't quite "clicked" with everyone yet. Your DD won't stand out so much as she catches up. If your 8-year-old is heading into 3rd grade in the fall, yes, I'd absolutely get some practice in. By 3rd grade, reading has "clicked" for almost all. They are well into chapter books and able to write about them easily. They start relying more on textbook work and a child who can't read them would be in a disadvantage in all subjects. There really is no reading instruction and the gap between a non-reader and a child at the 3rd grade level is very noticeable. It wouldn't be the end of the world, obviously, but if you have this time, I'd start reading with her more, it doesn't have to be reading curriculum, just what the PP suggested... read together, share pages, ect.
 
#4 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by echowarrior View Post

What am I missing? Shes 6 and she's not reading, is this the end of the world? Dd1 is 8 and not reading that great.... I'm glad I didn't enroll her, they would have thought she was seriously impaired...I know I shouldn't be bothered by this but haven't they seen this before? Should I have dd1 up to par by next Fall for 3rd grade incase she wants to go? Do they all think I'm neglectful and a bad mom?
The principal has probably seen a 6 y.o. who isn't reading yet.

The principal has probably not encountered many, or any, parents who are as sanguine as you appear to be about non-reading.

I am wondering if you have misinterpreted a simple look of surprise for one of horror. I am also wondering if she offered extra help at school because you demonstrated "no obvious concern". If the principal thinks that your DD will not get support and assistance at home (I'm not saying that's the case, just that your response may have created that impression), the principal may intervene earlier rather than allowing some time for your DD to develop her reading ability on her own.

There is a wide range of reading fluency in typical primary grade classrooms. It isn't unusual to see a 6 y.o. who is not yet reading. The fact that the school has "support" available and at the ready, presumably in the form of reading specialists and special reading programs, is evidence that the school has had plenty of experience with non-readers before your DD. It is, however, common for 6 y.o.'s to be learning to read by the first grade and it is common for the standard curriculum to require some reading achievements at that age.

I'm not commenting at all on whether your 6 y.o. should be reading yet or how concerned you should be. As I said, there is a wide range of ability at that age. When she was homeschooled, you both had a lot of options on working around a lack of reading. You could use different techniques to avoid struggles with the work she did and continue her learning despite an inability to read. A teacher with a class of 20 or 30 students doesn't have the same luxury. It's also likely that the teacher and the principal are under pressure to ensure that all students meet state standards for grade level. It may not be unusual or the end of the world if they encounter a non-reading student but it does present added complexity to teaching that student and managing his/her learning along with the rest of the class.

The fact is that the ability to read is crucial to school success. Until a student is able to read, s/he will likely struggle every day in class because typical school work relies heavily on independent reading. S/he will be a target for teasing from classmates. Some teachers will be understanding and helpful and others may label the child as less intelligent that s/he really is. It isn't fair or just, but it is reality.

By 3rd grade, most students are reading short novels for language arts and assigned textbooks for social studies and other subjects. They are doing a lot more writing in class and for homework including storywriting, short essays, projects and reports. If it is likely that your 8 y.o. will also be starting school, then it is a good idea to improve her reading and writing skills now. She will likely have a big adjustment when she starts full time school after so many years of homeschooling. It would be a kindness to help her prepare and make her entry into full time schooling as smooth as possible.
 
#5 ·
She may have just been surprised that you weren't resistant to what she was saying. Resisting the need for support is a common first step. If you seemed very unconcerned that may also have thrown her off and there could have been some assumptions about homeschooling families running through her head while talking to you. If your older child will be in school I do think you should teach her to read. It is very overwhelming for a child to be required to do work that they are a long way from being able to do.
 
#6 ·
In our school division it seems that the entire point of grade 1 is learning to read. My child started the fall not reading, and now 3 months in he is going the very very simple frist books with sentances like tthe girl has a cat, the girl has a dog.Grade 2 seems to be all about chapter books, and my grade 3 child is now reading novels. He too was just beginning reading in grade one. Some of the kids already read really well in grade one, whereas for mine it was the start of reading. Reading really clicked for him the summer bewteen grade 1-2, and his reading level has just exponentially increased from there. By grade three the kids are well past the learn to read stage so if I were you I would definalty work on that this year.
 
#7 ·
Children are expected to know at least 25 high-frequency words by the end of kindergarten and 100 words by the end of 1st grade though I believe in our school that many children exceed that goal. My daughter is in kindergarten. They spend a lot of time at the beginning learn to have relationships with books. It's the same sort of thing that parents who read at home do often. Their teacher reads to them for huge portions of the school day, and they practice looking at books and making comments on the drawings, etc. By this time, most of the children are beginning to read, so most of the kid will go into first grade with at least limited reading capability.

My son is a 2nd grader. He has to write a story of at least 5 sentences each week in addition to keeping a writing journal. He also has to read various books and discuss them. They're really focusing on things like plot, character, setting and less on the reading. He's also had to do a couple of very small projects because they are learning to research. So, for example, in science each child picked a marine animal and did research (both by going to the library and online). They had to type up a very short fact-based report, make a visual aid, and present their information. Doing that work without being able to read at all would be very difficult for the student and teacher, who is trying to help 20 kids on their projects.

We've been told repeatedly that third grade is when children transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." Where we are the absolute expectation is that children are fluent readers by 3rd grade, and there are significant interventions if they are not. Like other posters have said, by that point, your child will be behind in other classes as well because the children are expected to read for science, social studies, and even math. The kid also have end-of-grade testing, which can result in them being held back a grade if they do not meet minimum reading and math standards. I would work with my child on being able to read by the time she starts 3rd grade, or I think you're in for a big struggle while you're also dealing with the stress of a major life transition.
 
#8 ·
I'd hate to have this go the direction that I'm feeling it may be: let the OP know that, yes, her child is seriously behind and it is a big problem! I'm sure that she got that from the principal already. I actually don't think that a six year old 1st grader who cannot read is slow, behind, or necessarily has anything wrong. Some kids read earlier than others due to exposure, interest, or possibly ability. Some who read earlier are not destined to be the best readers or the best students later on. Some who read later are going to catch up and overtake others.

Where it is a problem is that schools now expect fluent reading earlier than they did in the past. The only concern I'd have for your 6 y/o is that she not get the message that she isn't bright or that there is something wrong with her. I'd guess that, barring any learning disability or other problem, that she's catch up just fine by the end of 2nd grade if they get her some extra help in the learning lab or whatever equivalent they have. Many 1st graders in my dd12's elementary went to some sort of reading lab in 1st and 2nd grade b/c they were behind where the school wanted them to be in reading. Most of them caught up just fine as far as I know.

Your 8 y/o is probably, like others have mentioned, going to be a bit of a different story b/c it will be less common probably for 3rd or 4th graders who do not have learning disabilities or mild developmental disabilities to be not reading at all and I'd worry more about her feeling stigmatized or that she has something wrong with her. I wonder if she might be amenable to working with her younger sister on the reading activities that she brings home from school so the two of them can progress on reading together this year. If she goes into school next year reading below grade level, but at least reading it would be better for her self image, I'd guess.
 
#9 ·
I find it interesting that the principal was so shocked. My son started grade 1 this year. Albeit he was an advanced and early reading (at 4 he was happily reading everything and anything) and in school he isn't interested in the books in his class because he was reading them years ago.....but 95% of his grade one part of his 1/2 class couldn't read at the beginning of September (maybe a few words here and there)-he was the anomaly.
 
#10 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by lonegirl View Post

I find it interesting that the principal was so shocked. My son started grade 1 this year. Albeit he was an advanced and early reading (at 4 he was happily reading everything and anything) and in school he isn't interested in the books in his class because he was reading them years ago.....but 95% of his grade one part of his 1/2 class couldn't read at the beginning of September (maybe a few words here and there)-he was the anomaly.
I suppose that depends on where you are, but I would say for our area, almost all of my dd's kindergarten class can read those basic "step 1" types of books that are similar to the Dick & Jane style of repetition. By the beginning of 1st grade, we have very few students who cannot read at all.
 
#11 ·
it sounds like your 6 year old will get caught up quickly. i wouldn't worry about her; she'll be fine
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as for your 8 year old, i would focus on getting her caught up to speed this year. assuming she has no developmental issues, she could be caught up with reading and writing fairly quickly. i would make reading and writing a priority, or next year will be problematic for her. we have always homeschooled & my scope and sequence for writing is different than that of the public school in early elementary. i know my 11 year old would be fine in public school, but my 8 year old would not be up to par in writing. we do much less at home in grade 3. we would have to really step it up to get his stamina adjusted to public school writing standards. i would just make these two subjects priority & your daughter will be fine should she need to return to public school next year (and math too...basically, the "3 R's"). no worries
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hugs
 
#12 ·
My now 10 yr old daughter was 9 when she started back to a public charter school in 4th grade. She was not a reader, didn't pick up books at home while home schooling and just showed absolutely no interest. But about 4 months in to the school year when she started 4th grade she kept her nose in books. Her teacher was a homeschooling parent of 5 that had just started back to teaching so I lucked out! She had a really nice reading station in the classroom. My daughter loves to read now. I think it's partly because her teacher encouraged it, had the nice reading center and she saw her peers in class doing very well at reading. Nothing I ever did at home got her to read. I had to force reading on her usually through workbooks when we home schooled. So I am thankful her teacher got her in to it. :) She is always reading these days. Keeps books by the couch and by her bed and takes them in the car sometimes. So give it some time, your child may come around with time.
 
#14 ·
Just wanted to point out that my third daughter, who was homeschooled through eight grade, did not read fluently until at least age 10 or 11? Her brother, who's 2 1/2 years younger, was a better reader than her for a while. We tried a lot of approaches, and rather than frustrate her, just let her be, since she obviously wasn't ready. Her older sisters were reading by 5 and 6 years of age, so it was a leap of faith for me to step back and NOT push her. But she went from barely reading, to reading Harry Potter novels, within a few months. She's now a freshman in high school, and is a straight-A student! :)
 
#15 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by farmer View Post

Just wanted to point out that my third daughter, who was homeschooled through eight grade, did not read fluently until at least age 10 or 11? Her brother, who's 2 1/2 years younger, was a better reader than her for a while. We tried a lot of approaches, and rather than frustrate her, just let her be, since she obviously wasn't ready. Her older sisters were reading by 5 and 6 years of age, so it was a leap of faith for me to step back and NOT push her. But she went from barely reading, to reading Harry Potter novels, within a few months. She's now a freshman in high school, and is a straight-A student! :)
The OP will be sending her child to public school next year, though, and there's no way that a child could go as long as your daughter in public school without reading and not have a label attached to her.
 
#16 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by VisionaryMom View Post

The OP will be sending her child to public school next year, though, and there's no way that a child could go as long as your daughter in public school without reading and not have a label attached to her.
She said she wasn't reading "fluently." I'm sure her daughter still would read things. Mine read things but wouldn't read books or anything more than a paragraph or two here and there until she was almost 9.
 
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