Community Magazine November 2008

74 Community magazine I NSIGHTS INTO EDUCATION RIFKA SCHONFELD Abe is two years behind in read- ing, and his parents are worried. His trouble began in kindergarten, when his teacher noticed that he could recognize letters but had difficulty figuring out their sounds. Things got worse in first grade. Abe would recognize a word but not how to say it. He would see the ‘s’ and ‘h,’ but would forget that together they create the ‘sh’ sound. As time went on, the words got longer, and Abe was having more trouble. When words were more than two syllables long, he would be lost. He sometimes managed to hide it. He would understand some words, string them together, and figure out the rest from context. But this didn’t always work. Abe started becoming frustrated, until he was convinced that he was plain dumb. To make matters worse, his grades in other subjects steadily declined, as well. Reading is one of the most basic skills that we need in order to function properly in today’s world. Unfortunately, many children struggle in their attempts to develop this skill. Reading brings us pleasure, knowledge, and inspiration. Small wonder, then, that those having difficulty are frustrated and unhappy. We may think we learned to read in first grade, but reading is a process that takes years to develop. Little by little, children acquire different skills. As they mature, they advance their abilities. Most kids struggle at first with letters and sounds, but as time goes on they perfect the technique and read for fun. The process begins with mastering the alphabet, and continues with associating sounds and symbols, taking words apart and rebuilding them, decoding, silent reading, and reading sentences and paragraphs. Children with difficulties can get stuck at any point in this process. For example, Sandra has trouble learning the alphabet; she simply cannot distinguish a ‘b’ from a ‘d.’ Jake can’t string sounds together in a word. He will try to sound out every letter, but it just comes out sounding like nonsense. Miriam can read a page silently, but she refuses to read aloud because her sentences sound disconnected and she reads slowly. In addition to reading, children must also develop the skill of reading compre- hension. The ability to read correctly is one thing; the ability to understand what you read is something else. Ricky can read an article in seconds, but if you ask him what it’s about, he wouldn’t know. Because reading skills involve so many different levels, each of these children will require a different remedial program to help them read. It’s impossible to begin reme- diation before a child’s reading abilities are carefully diagnosed by a specialist who can pinpoint the problem. A student cannot be helped unless the student, teachers, and par- ents understand the root of the child’s dif- ficulties. Remediation can be very effective. There are many techniques to help children read, which are suited for different kinds of stu- dents. Think of remediation as a shoe store: not every program is appropriate for every child. A reading method should be chosen to fit a student like a new pair of shoes. It has to fit right to work. Meanwhile, what’s a parent to do? The first step is to accept the problem. When Sandra’s parents noticed their daughter’s struggles, they chose to wait and see what would happen, figuring the issue was imma- turity that she would eventually outgrow. But Sandra didn’t. Instead, she fell further behind. A teacher called her parents and gently but firmly explained that this problem required professional attention. Sandra’s par- ents finally had her evaluated and she began remediation. The next step is to encourage the child to developapositiveself-image. Instinctively,the c h i l d senses that “if every- body else can do it, then there’s something wrong with me.” Parents must work to boost the child’s self-confidence. Praise and encouragement may seem silly, but it can do wonders to repair a damaged self-image. Finally, parents should stay abreast of the situation. Teachers come and go, but parents can monitor the child’s progress over extend- ed periods. Reading problems can change as a student grows older. What might have started out as a decoding problem may have since developed into a comprehension prob- lem. It is therefore critical for parents, the only ones who oversee the student’s progress from one year to the next, to closely monitor the child’s reading skills to detect any changes or new developments. Above all, keep perspective. Reading is essential, but there are other things in life. Keep your child busy with other interests. If you buy your child a book for his birthday, you’re only compounding the problem. He’s getting the message that reading will domi- nate his life, in school and home. Buy him a bike instead. That way he’ll know there are many ways to explore, and not only through books. Rifka Schonfeld is founder and director of SOS, Strategies for Optimum Student Success. The next time your neighbor offers to help, give a smile and maybe even a small tip. Tell him what a saddik he is. Suggest he can teach your own kids about midot. These gestures go a long way. They make the difference in a child’s life and his prospects for a promising future. Help Me! I Can' t Read!