Should I speak to teacher again?

[Shazzler]

My ds started primary 1 in August. (We live in Scotland)

I have spoken to his teacher about his reading and how he finds it easy. I was told that she did try him on the next level but he didn't know the words and so she could not move him on. However when he is at home he reads at least 150 words and phonics stories that we bought for him. Should I discuss this again at parents night or should I just carry on myself?

He can also do addition and subtraction easily and yet they have not even started that. I was told he is not an "early finisher" but I know that he will work through any work he is given and just do as he is told without saying that he is finding it easy.

I am worried that eventually he will be bored and start hating school or misbehaving.

Another problem I have is that I do relief work (learning support and classroom assistant) at the school and so I do not want the teacher to think that I feel I know better than her.

Any suggestions?

[aloha]

What an odd thing to say about not knowing the words...reading isn't about 'knowing' the words, it's about reading them!
I would probably just provide interesting reading material at home though. Does he enjoy school? I wouldn't assume that he will be bored or hate school until you see home evidence. Maybe he enjoys the feeling of being on top of stuff atm.

[Shazzler]

I have been speaking to dh's mum and she remembers having this problem with dh. He did get bored. I don't think my ds is gifted but I do think he is above average and I feel that schools should encourage this and not hold them back.

[gigglinggoblin]

how does she expect them to learn new words if she doesnt let them see them? i have found both my boys have been able to read words in a book but not off a list because they use the pictures as clues and eventually they know the word on its own. thats how they learn

how early they finish has nothing to do with how bright or able they are either. ds1 frequently doesnt finish work by the expected time and yet he is on the gifted list at school. i think a lot of his problem is that he is bored. cant say i blame him, i dont find work sheets particularly exciting!

i agree with aloha, keep encouraging him at home but keep an eye on school. if he starts misbehaving it could be a sign he is not getting enough stimulation and you dont want him to be thought of as naughty when the real problem is boredom. not sure if i would push the issue atm tho, he hasnt been there very long so teacher is possibly still getting to know him

[Shazzler]

We have a parents night soon and I think the reports are out before then so I think that may be a time to discuss it.

As I am quite close to the situation, work wise, I think I will let dh do the talking. I don't want to sound like a pushy mum .

[Dodsey]

Speak to teacher again. I was in this situation with one of my first P1 classes (15 yrs ago) but still quote it to other teachers. I was very pleased a parent told me her son could easily read the words we were working on. Yes there was mild embarrassment but I felt better for responding to the parents home knowledge. The child in question was very shy & I found it difficult to get him to speak and join in. He had obviously just been doing the minimum when asked by me & I didn't want to put pressure on such a shy wee boy.When I checked his vocabulary now with the confidence of his parents info. behind me , he read list upon list & i jumped him up a couple of levels. Maybe you could tackle the teacher again from a different angle, mentioning his shyness & reluctance to show what he can do in class. ( because he obviously has allowed his skills to melt into the background)This rambling answer may help, hope so.

[Dodsey]

By the way my own DS has just started P1 in the same school I used to teach in. I send DH to all meetings ( thoroughly briefed of course!!

[Shazzler]

Thanks Dodsey.

He may not have known the exact words she wanted but he does have a wide knowledge of words. I enjoy teaching him new things and he is so eager to learn. We have been doing those workbooks you can buy since he was about 3 and he loves doing them and asked me the other day why we haven't done any more. The levels I have now are quite advanced but am thinking of going through them anyway because of his eagerness to learn.

He is shy in some ways so maybe that is a reason. He is well behaved and so generally just does as he is asked normally without a fuss so I can understand that he would just get on with his work at his own pace even if he knows exactly what he is doing. He tells me that his homework is easy and boring though!

Eg of homework

How many? (They must count and write number, he did this years ago!)
Match the picture to the sound, eg picture of duck to d

Think I will raise this again at parents evening or at least let dh do it.

[Dodsey]

Your son is needing to be assessed more rigourously.Tactfully explain at meeting that he has always pushed to do numbers & letters at home so he has covered alot of ground with you. It sounds like he needs to be fast tracked, but remember the teacher also needs to cover the ground once just to ensure there are no gaps in his learning.

[bobbybob]

That homework sounds dull - my ds could do that now (if I read him the question) and he's not yet 3.

[Shazzler]

Good idea Dodsey.

I will try that. I do know that another boy in his class has moved on a level. I only know this because I was working at the school so I don't want her to think I'm just asking because of the other boy. If he is not ready then that's fine but I do feel he can do more.

It must be difficult though when you have so many children at different levels when they are all starting out.