Blog Post 4

Dear Lily,

                It’s good to hear from you again.  How’s your son Harry doing?  Anyway, I may have a few ideas to help you with your student named Jonathan.  By the sounds of things Jonathan is a talented and intelligent boy, who just struggles with reading tasks.  I know it’s easy to jump to conclusions that Jonathan is either disinterested in his work, or bored, but It may be the case that Jonathan has a learning disability in reading.  For example, Jonathan may struggle with reading tasks because he is dyslexic. 

                I just read this article that may help me help you, the article was called How Can I Help Children with Learning Disabilities? by Maguire, or Carlisle, I forget which, anyway the article talks about how if students are still not able to complete the work that they need to, then they should be referred to a specialist for evaluation.  A special education teacher has training in how to help students with learning disabilities that most regular classroom teachers don’t.  It is very important that both you and the special education teacher keep a positive attitude towards Jonathan’s education, and that Jonathan appreciates that his education is still his responsibility.  Students in Jonathan’s position can lose their self-esteem if they think that the adults around them don’t believe in them, or that their work doesn’t matter. 

                It could also be that Jonathan has a language learning disability stemming from his lack of reading comprehension.  If this is the case, then Jonathan would be reading words slowly or incorrectly.  Perhaps Jonathan should be referred to a reading or speech therapist.  I know you’re busy with 24 students, but if you can, you could also try helping Jonathan with his phonological awareness and word-reading skills.  Bye lily, give my best to James.

-Brian Walker