Yikes, tutoring reading at the local ps - what have we gotten ourselves into?

[Tenaj]

My 16yodd has accepted a wonderful opportunity to tutor some first through fourth graders several times a week at our local ps. She went to orientation last week, came home with a bunch of information and was floored at the techniques she is to use in tutoring.

 

She was told that if a child is having trouble reading a word, she is to verbally spell out the word and then pronounce it for them. The example given was "the". Spell out "t - h - e" and then pronounce it for them. She was amazed that she wasn't to tell them, th together says "th" and then to pronounce - no - just spell the individual letters. The other technique that was encouraged is that if a child is having trouble reading a word to get them to guess at the word from the pictures. My daughter was horrified!

 

It's been so funny hearing her reaction to all of this because my 18yods learned to read at this school and I struggled for years to undo the reading techniques that are used there. For years, he had difficulty reading any word that was new because he had been taught "high frequency" words and that's what they are still doing!

 

The controversy we've had is whether she can respond to any problems with any phonetic instruction at all. She learned from Phonics Pathways and has helped with, and heard me teach three more kids to read that way so it's very difficult for her to seperate that teaching from what she's going to do at the school. I might have to laugh if she gets dismissed from the program for teaching <gasp> phonics!

[FO4UR]

That is completely and utterly insane!!!!

 

Maybe she'd be happier tutoring independent of the ps...she sounds like someone I'd be happy to hire or recommend.

[jenL]

That is completely and utterly insane!!!!

 

Maybe she'd be happier tutoring independent of the ps...she sounds like someone I'd be happy to hire or recommend.

 

:iagree: There have to be parents with students struggling with the reading method being taught in the school. Is there a way you can get your daughter's name out there? Maybe through church, your local Y, your library?

[Susan in KY]

The controversy we've had is whether she can respond to any problems with any phonetic instruction at all. She learned from Phonics Pathways and has helped with, and heard me teach three more kids to read that way so it's very difficult for her to seperate that teaching from what she's going to do at the school. I might have to laugh if she gets dismissed from the program for teaching <gasp> phonics!

 

If I were her, I'd go in and give specific phonics instruction as it comes up in the course of the books she reads with the kids. First of all, she is being hired because the teachers don't have enough time to do it, and secondly, they won't be watching over her until she starts to have amazing success compared to the other tutors. When her kids start to excel, she'll perhaps have to defend her methods. Maybe it will effect change, maybe not. By then, however, the students she's responsible for will have learned and the school won't undo it. Whether or not they agree, they won't be able to fault her results.

 

I don't think she can go in and not do the right thing, however. It's irresponsible. Just because all the adults in the situation are being irresponsible to the children doesn't mean she should do the same. She should by all means help the ones she can and see it as a privilege.

 

Then again, she could play it safe and quit now.

 

Susan

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

If I were her, I'd go in and give specific phonics instruction as it comes up in the course of the books she reads with the kids. First of all, she is being hired because the teachers don't have enough time to do it, and secondly, they won't be watching over her until she starts to have amazing success compared to the other tutors. When her kids start to excel, she'll perhaps have to defend her methods. Maybe it will effect change, maybe not. By then, however, the students she's responsible for will have learned and the school won't undo it. Whether or not they agree, they won't be able to fault her results.

 

I don't think she can go in and not do the right thing, however. It's irresponsible. Just because all the adults in the situation are being irresponsible to the children doesn't mean she should do the same. She should by all means help the ones she can and see it as a privilege.

 

Then again, she could play it safe and quit now.

 

Susan

 

I agree that these are the options. She can't just go along with it. That would be contributing to the illiteracy of a minor.

 

:tongue_smilie:

 

I also agree that she should consider advertising phonics-based tutoring.

[Tidbits of Learning]

My 16yodd has accepted a wonderful opportunity to tutor some first through fourth graders several times a week at our local ps. She went to orientation last week, came home with a bunch of information and was floored at the techniques she is to use in tutoring.

 

She was told that if a child is having trouble reading a word, she is to verbally spell out the word and then pronounce it for them. The example given was "the". Spell out "t - h - e" and then pronounce it for them. She was amazed that she wasn't to tell them, th together says "th" and then to pronounce - no - just spell the individual letters. The other technique that was encouraged is that if a child is having trouble reading a word to get them to guess at the word from the pictures. My daughter was horrified!

 

It's been so funny hearing her reaction to all of this because my 18yods learned to read at this school and I struggled for years to undo the reading techniques that are used there. For years, he had difficulty reading any word that was new because he had been taught "high frequency" words and that's what they are still doing!

 

The controversy we've had is whether she can respond to any problems with any phonetic instruction at all. She learned from Phonics Pathways and has helped with, and heard me teach three more kids to read that way so it's very difficult for her to seperate that teaching from what she's going to do at the school. I might have to laugh if she gets dismissed from the program for teaching <gasp> phonics!

 

Are these labelled as "suggestions" to help her tutor or are they the "instructions" on how to tutor?

If they are labelled as this is one way to do it and suggestions on tutoring methods, then I would just ignore them and tutor with phonics.

If they are "instructions" on THE way to tutor, then she could either ask if she may use phonetic instruction and see how they respond or just try it until they tell her to stop or until they see her results and praise her.

[yslek]

I agree that these are the options. She can't just go along with it. That would be contributing to the illiteracy of a minor.

 

:tongue_smilie:

 

I also agree that she should consider advertising phonics-based tutoring.

 

:iagree: In that situation, I'd go for the "easier to ask forgiveness than permission" approach. I would suggest she view the training as suggestions on the part of the school to those tutors who don't know what to do (she's obviously not part of the intended audience ;)) and then tutor as she sees best (without asking permission first). If she has to defend her methods later (and possibly give up the position), so be it, but at least some children will have benefited by then.

 

This brings to mind a situation a friend of mine dealt with several years ago. She had volunteered to tutor non-literate adults at the library, and was making no headway helping the man she was tutoring with the literacy center's materials. After several months, they started using something called "The Phonics Game", and she said that he made amazing progress in just the first couple of sessions. Made an amazing difference for the man's self-esteem (and my friend's!) and made quite an impact on my friend, who was working on her teaching degree at the time, and had previously only been exposed to the typical "whole language" approach. (She's now a stay-at-home mommy to two young children who she plans to homeschool. I bet she'll be teaching them to read with phonics! :D)

[Dmmetler]

If she's volunteering, she has a lot of leeway. I tutored math at a local school last year when DD was in K, and had NO trouble focusing on what the kids needed-as long as they were improving, the teachers were thrilled. So we did a lot of Mental math, a lot of focus on number bonds, a lot of focus on place value...basically, I did Singapore 1A with those 3rd graders :).

 

I suspect the same is true with reading. If the kids are improving because your DD is giving them phonics strategies, no one is likely to complain at all.

[merry gardens]

...That would be contributing to the illiteracy of a minor.

 

:tongue_smilie:

...

:lol:Love that line!

 

I like OpenMinded's suggestions. I have a son with dyslexia and techinique's like the school system suggested would hurt, not help, my son with his reading.

[Tenaj]

She took the instructions to be instructions not suggestions and is therefore, hesitating to do anything that doesn't follow the "rules" they have set forth. I have encouraged her to use her knowledge of phonics and teach the kids as she would want her own kids or her brothers/sisters taught in the situation. Wouldn't it be something if she could affect a change of a system that has been hurting so many kids for so many years? How exciting of a possibility, but if she can just help one struggling kidlet it will be a great thing.

 

It just hurts my heart to realize how many of the kids at our school are being taught this way -- I've seen the results in a family at our church. They have a twenty-year old still struggling and a fourteen year old who also struggles... all because of these so-called expert methods. Such a waste . .

Thanks for all the encouragement for my dd, I'll pass along the advice.