My Kindergartener will be 6 in March.....he started Kind. in Aug. He was doing pretty good after adjusting, etc. for a couple of weeks.
They started sending home little 4 page books, called readers for the children to read. Now, he's on the advanced/on level reading list...so he gets an 8 page book. He used to read these in no more than 5 min. with the help of a few words and going over it several times to learn the words he needed help with.....this is the third week where I have had to sit with him for an hour just to try to get him to try. He won't even attempt it.
He's started the "I'm sick, my belly hurts", etc., etc., excuses to try to get out of going to school.....well I finally got it out of him, he says school is too hard and he wants to "not go back".
Can anyone help me out with this please?
I'm surprised I have any hair left!!! 
In one week, he has three 8 pg readers and one 4 pg reader.
Please can anyone help me????
the best lesson i think that my kids learned in school was in preschool-kindergarten when they learned phonics. If he doesnt know his phonics reading will be harder imo. Does he know phonics, is it being taught. I would inquire with his teacher.
My son is in kindergarten also and will be 6 in March as well.He too,gets small readers sent home every week to start to learn to read.He is doing well also but loses interest fast and says he doesn't want to do it anymore.I leave it and put it away and then later I pull out other books to read and he usually comes and sits down to look and watch....I don't ask him too.After I read a bit I ask him if he wants to try his books again and most of the time he will stay and read..Then I praise him like crazy when he reads it and does well.It will come....It is very new to them and sometimes over whelming.Talk to the teacher..they have aids in the classroom to help out for readeing etc....He'll be fine!!
Ok first off I think that they are making our children super robots that compete against one another. My daughter just turned six in July. When she started Pre school they thought she was having speech problems. So I stopped trying to teach her Chinese til she got English down. Well they tested her right away and she scored a 97%.
She hit Kindergarten and loved it so much. I did not hear Boo about her reading until she started First Grade. She has a hard teacher and now she is at the bottom of the class for reading. She has been in a reading program since she started school and in the sevens books. They want her at the twelves by mid January and at a eighteen by the end of school.
Reading does not come easy and the more I stress over this the more angry I get. The bar has been set and yes I want my daughter to successful--I also want her to enjoy childhood and school.
My daughter did the distractions to get out of reading. I basically became a cheerleader when it came to her reading. HUGE PRAISE is what I suggest. OH MY GOSH YOU ARE SUCH A GREAT READER!
Growing Pains. There is always a way to make things fun-even being sick! HTH
Sorry for spelling errors!
Maybe I just haven't been praising enough!!! I try, I really do try, but I with a 5yo, 4yo, dog and a DH to praise.......it can get overwhelming, lol!!!!! Still, no excuse, I know!! LOL!!!
I have volunteered in the classroom a couple of times and I was actually surprised at how much they did work with them...they actually went over the readers with them and have seperate papers with new words (that will be in the readers) on them that they go over with them as well.
Last week, my son threw a little fit....pouting etc. when the aide was working with him....just trying to get him to try to learn the words......I was volunteering at the santa shop when this happened, so his teacher called me to come & talk to him...he wouldn't even talk to anyone, he just sat there and pouted..........
He always sees me reading or writing something.
I was actually considering hooked on phonics or something...he used to sound the words out and "get" the word, now he can't...simply b/c he won't try.
BTW...I was SHOCKED that he's learning to read in Kind.!!!! I don't think I learned that early!!!!
I have worked in the public schools for the past 11 years. The fact is that the curriculum has been squashed down so that the skills that I learned in the 8th grade (I'm in my early 40's) are now being taught in 4th/5th grade. When I was in kindergarten we played most of the day, we napped for at least an hour, we definitely had no text books and didn't write. My son was in kindergarten last year and it is completely academic, no naps, text books and homework everyday. His 1st grade teacher told us at open house that by the end of 1st grade all students are expected to be fluent readers...this will never happen!! The problem is that many children are not developmentally ready for this type of learning environment. This doesn't mean that they won't or can't learn, just that they are not ready for it. You would never expect an infant to be a steady walker!! Children are under extreme pressure to learn more complex and advanced concepts and many of them just aren't ready to do it yet.
My daughter is in 1st grade right now and is reading pretty well I think and yet the teachers say she is in the average part of the class. 
When she was in kind. she would come home with the same books as your young ones and I thought "this is crazy I was doing this work in 3/4 grade not in kind" She got to where we had to drag her into school because she said it was too hard and hated it. The kids today don't have time to be kids but are rushed into being little adults in school, this really bothers me! I wish I could home school but i just don't have the patience for it. My daughter still complains school is too hard and today was faking sick as to not go. She loves school because she likes to learn and be with her friends but hates it because of how fast paced it is and how much work they shove on them now.
I had it easy with my first, he loves to read. What I did was, like suggested, make it fun. He wanted to learn Spanish. I made little signs of construction paper to go on EVERYTHING, one in English, and one in Spanish. For example, top part said "door" and bottom said "la puerta." We made a game of reading both signs before touching the item. There are also Scholastic reading books with the audio tapes, and we would sit down together with these. There are little games (rhyming, word play) as mini breaks during the books.
My daughter is in 4K and they are working on letters but not reading just yet. I really need to get more signs made for her. She can count, thanks to cooking with me, but letters she hasn't mastered yet.
Have you talked with the teacher? That should always be the first step when you are concerned about your child. We have agendas that go back and forth every day to communicate with the teachers. My dd is just turning 7 next week so she is in grade 2 here. She learned to read very well last year in grade 1(age 5-6). She does go to an all french school but they start with all the different vowel sounds(in french there are 4 sounds for the letter e because three have symbols on top which changes the sound. Then they have learn all the other sounds like ou. I guess it's the french version of phonics. They learned the sounds of all the letters in K.
Once they started to read books, the teacher started a reading club and there were prizes for every 10 books they read.(from erasers to being queen or king for the day). My little dd LOVED that. She ended up reading the most in her class-she was the youngest and split with an older class. Before the reading club was set up, dd was fighting reading at home but then didn't want to stop reading. Maybe you can set something up at home with a sticker for each book and after so many stickers, he gets a little prize.
I think it's VERY important that you not push to hard. Encourage and praise, but don't force as that will just make him hate reading possibly forever. Talk to the school about backing off a bit and going back to the 4 page books. he is a better judge of what he's ready for than anyone else - don't forget that, and it seems right now he's telling everyone that he's not ready, for whatever reason, for the more difficult books. It might just be the length of the book...
Melissa
Are you sure the problem is the reading? I'm asking because it sounds like the teacher has decided he's ready for the more advanced reading, maybe I misunderstood you about what the advanced/on level list means though.
My oldest threw a fit about going to school for the whole month of December during his kindergarten year, he's in second grade now, and we thought someone was picking on him or something from the way he was acting. He gave us no indication that it was an academic problem and I'm not a teacher so I had no idea he was bored to death.
What I'm trying to say is that if the teacher feels he's ready for the reading he's been given he might be and the problem could be elsewhere. Kids seem to be really good about misdirecting you when it comes to what's wrong.
If he is having trouble with reading try finding stuff he'll want to read even comics. After all even if it's just a comic it's still reading. Maybe you can interest him in reading to his little brother too, my almost 4 year old has been chasing the oldest for a couple years to get him to read to him and they both enjoy it. It might make him feel really big and that might encourage him.
Don't pressure him if he is having a problem with reading, he could just not be ready for it.
Are you sure the problem is the reading? ...
My oldest threw a fit about going to school for the whole month of December during his kindergarten year, he's in second grade now, and we thought someone was picking on him or something from the way he was acting. He gave us no indication that it was an academic problem and I'm not a teacher so I had no idea he was bored to death....
Don't pressure him if he is having a problem with reading, he could just not be ready for it.
THis is another possibility. My first is in 5th grade now and it is the FIRST year since kindergarten he hasn't hated school. He was bored out of his mind. He's now in an all highly gifted classroom and the change has been DRAMATIC.
However, he's a super perfectionist (and we've been trying to tame that since he was 2!) and he gets really, really frustrated if he feels something is too hard. He'll throw fits, quit and basically shut down if he's getting pushed too hard or is afraid of failure. Piano lessons have been a real joy, let me tell you! How do you tell a kid who is used to getting things quickly that he can't expect to sit down and play like a master after two lessons?
So, besides not being ready, is the possibility of another problem (which will make itself evident if the problem doesn't go away after dropping down a level in reading), or the fear of failure.
Also, if he gets bored with the book, only read a couple pages at a time and not force him sitting for the entire 8 pages. That's what we do with piano lessons still. We don't have him sit for 30 minutes to practice, but 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there until he's gotten the 30 minutes in.
Good Luck!
Melissa
When school began, he was very bored!!!!!
And, a lot of the time he still is.......he was able to write his name and a lot of other things (from memory) when he was 2. We never pushed him to do this....he wanted to and wanted to, so we'd show him a word/name and he'd write it on his magna doodle....and then it'd be in his mind.
It's difficult, some of this books, because they have words that are very similar....like....rip rap and rim ram, etc., etc. It gets very confusing, sometimes!!!
Thanks everyone for the help!! I truly appreciate it! He loves loves LOVES stickers, so I think I'll do that as a reward system for when he TRIES; and I think we may read a page and then let it sink in and then come back and read another page.....btw..this isn't the only home work he has everynight. He has one reader a night, and always atleast one other page like a handwriting page or a math page and then he has another paper with daily homework on it, sometimes it's writing words or understanding some vocabulary words that appear in the story they're working on for the week.
It's always several things to do a night, except Fri.
The teacher and I have talked, but there's not much she can do with the boredom, a lot of them are bored in that class.....maybe when they get to first grade,they'll be seperated more as to "faster" learners, etc. ???? I don't know, he's my oldest and I have one that will be in Kind. next year too, so.......Thanks everyone!
However, he's a super perfectionist (and we've been trying to tame that since he was 2!) and he gets really, really frustrated if he feels something is too hard. He'll throw fits, quit and basically shut down if he's getting pushed too hard or is afraid of failure. Piano lessons have been a real joy, let me tell you! How do you tell a kid who is used to getting things quickly that he can't expect to sit down and play like a master after two lessons?
Did you steal my child? 
Our son hates to do anything that he doesn't get right away. When they're like my son I don't think they realise how hard others have to work just to learn their phonics and stuff. He went from not reading more than his name at the start of kindergarten to having finished the second Harry Potter book on his own before he started first grade. I'm glad he isn't athletic or artistic because this way he understands that everyone has their own talents and he has to work at stuff.
mmdd- If your child is bored I think you need to fight with the school to change that, it's not going to get better and you'll probably have to argue every year to get what he needs. If several kids are bored with reading than it makes it even easier on the teacher, she can form a group with them, it's not fair to any of them and you don't want your child hating school. My child has his own reading group that his teachers have to run for him (kind of nice since he can move at his own pace).
LOL... Yep, I understand COMPLETELY the quick learner. Anyone who thinks gifted learners are easy are clueless. You have major issues with the school providing them what they need, the kids learning to be patient with themselves, with other people and with learning effort matters too.
Even though Piano has been difficult, we knew it was important for him to stick with it as he needs to learn that he's not perfect. He has an average talent for music and actually enjoys playing, but HATES starting new songs and throws fits and yells and won't take criticism. He turns into a different person when he's practicing - UNTIL he "gets it", then he loves playing it and will practice it without me pushing him. The funny thing is that he's just started the trumpet and now he's saying he wish it were as easy as the piano... Hmm... Iguess he forgot his first year of piano already! LOL
Melissa
LOL... Yep, I understand COMPLETELY the quick learner. Anyone who thinks gifted learners are easy are clueless. You have major issues with the school providing them what they need, the kids learning to be patient with themselves, with other people and with learning effort matters too.
I honestly am hoping that my youngest isn't like the first, I know that sounds weird but it's a pain having a kid like this. I know it's better than having a child with learning problems but I tell other parents they don't want what I have either.
I honestly am hoping that my youngest isn't like the first, I know that sounds weird but it's a pain having a kid like this. I know it's better than having a child with learning problems but I tell other parents they don't want what I have either.
Totally with ya there too. I knew we had a good chance of having gifted kids as my husband was one of those wunderkinds you hear about on the news - taught himself to read at age 2 (not talking three letter words, but laughing at comic strips, books meant for elem. kids - asked for a college physics book at age 5... you get the picture). I, on the other hand was bright, but not gifted... I really wanted "bright" as you get all the benefits and not many of the negatives of the gifted learner.
However, now that Ihave a second child, I'm beginnign to worry about how he will feel compared to his brother. We can't hide older DSs skills and the younger one will surely be aware of it... so we'll have to make sure he realizes that IQ doesn't mean a heck of a lot with regard to success in life (within reason of course).
The other problem is that you can't talk to ANYONE about the gifted learner! Other parents think you are rubbing it in or bragging and many other parents of gifted kids are competive - "Johnny can multiply 3 digit numbers in his head, can yours?" etc. ugh!
My son, fortunately, is within a school system that has levels - gifted, with weekly pull-out classes and full time gifted for the top 2-3% of the class. The weekly pullouts were the ONLY times he liked school. His grades were crap as he didnt' pay attention in school, so he would ace the tests, but do poorly on schoolwork as he didn't see the point of giving it his attention as it's baby stuff to him. Why put effort in something you can't be convinced is worth your time?
Since we moved into the school system, he never got evaluated, so last year we did the tests and eval and he's in the full day gifted classes and he's LOVING it as much as a kid can like school. He's a young 5th grader (bday is aug. 29), but he's doing math I did when I was 13. he's doing a science project now that I didn't learn how to do until high school and he gets it. I'm beginning to not follow conversations between my son and DH as they are talking about pulsars and anti-matter, etc. He has friends in school to talk these things over with too.
Oh, another great side effect of full day gifted classes is that for the first time, he's not always the smartest, best at something which is a lessen better learned NOW than in college!
Anyway... gifted students are great, but a lot of work - a lot.
Melissa
I hear you about the other parents. I lost a friend over that, she was kind of competative and when my son learned so quickly she couldn't handle it.
We really don't have much hope for the younger, I would love to have a "bright" kid but my husband and I were both considered gifted. Not like your husband but I was tutoring college kids on trig when I was 16.
I feel bad for my son too, he discusses WWII with me and borrows my mom's books about Egypt but yet he's still an eight year old. It can get kind of confusing.
My son just turned six and started school this year too. He stayed at home with me before that. He totally amazed me by beginning to read before kindergarted started. He's now on to the second grade readers. I try to make his reading time "just for him". I have two other boys. When he brings home a new book we sit on the couch together and read. Just the two of us and little brothers do something else. I would also suggest the Leapster Lmax. It's from leapfrog. There are tons of reading and math games and they are fun! He really enjoys playing them and with lots of levels it keeps him challenged.
If they're doing a lot of work in the classroom and your son is progressing well in reading (as well as other areas), I would not push him to continue working on it at home. Kids need to be allowed to be kids and do not need to be pushed to be "gifted." They have their own pace and way of learning and need to be allowed to progress in that manner. I'm not trying to imply that you are pushing him too hard. I'm just saying they need time to unwind and play. They grow up too fast as it is.
I used to teach, but taught mostly 5-8 grade, but one year I taught kindergarten. We spent the entire year working on letters, then small words, sentence structure (like word w/ capital letter first, period last etc.) and maybe a FEW began reading small sentences.
When my sons got to first grade, they had a MARVELOUS teacher who firmly believed in reading. It seemed a bit much at times, but I am so thankful for her. She helped shape my boys into fabulous readers and they LOVE to read. But she was also VERY GOOD at listening to parents. If we felt that the level of reading was too difficult and our kids started to appear frustrated, she would bring it down a level. However within a week, she was encouraging them to step it up and try again. We were very blessed, and I know not everyone is that fortunate.
One suggestion I can make, well 2 suggestions..... the first thing and always the most important is to communicate with your child's teacher. Remember, you are his FIRST teacher and you know your child better than anyone! Whether you have a degree in education or not!
The second thing...I use to do this when they started struggling or started getting frustrated: I would read a page, then they would read a page and they would follow along with my finger when I read. Not only did they see the word, they could hear it the proper way and listen to the tone and inflection in my voice. It cut the reading time down, but they were still learning by actively observing.
Best of luck....keep us posted! 
mmdd....I dont know if you know about these two site or if youre already a member....but they usually are very helpful and give great advice about raising children......maybe these links will help.
http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/
http://www.clubmom.com/jforum/forums/show/38.page?lastMid=263118
I personally dont buy into our son's schools theory of "because he's gifted" ...we have a 6 yr old 1st grader who reads at a 3rd grade level....but has trouble following directions. His teacher and the school is always quick to excuse it as because he is gifted....my husband and I see it as....because honestly if he is so damn smart then he best be smart enough to sit his rear down and behave!! I think if a child hears an excuse...for anything they are going to continue the behavior and fall on the excuse,.....
Thanks again, everyone.
I did write a note to the teacher...I know for a fact that she is not able to check her email everyday, so I wrote a note and she replied to it telling me that he read very well today, actually he read great-knew all of the words. She also said that she knows he can do it.
Sometimes he gets a defiant streak in him, dh says he gets it from me....anyway that's another story, lol!
He read his 4 pg reader tonight.....PERFECTLY!!! And, there were 2 and 3 sentences on each page!!!
I do keep communication open with the teacher, I am glad he has a good teacher, when we were having a problem with him adjusting in the school, she actually asked me what she could do to help. This is her 8th year of teaching and I've heard nothing but good things about her.
So........we're just gonna take it one day at a time.
ONe other thing, as shortcake said, they really do need time to unwind and when school is out, I let him do whatever he wants for about 2 hours, then it's time to do homework.
I don't know what I'm in for next year, b/c my 4 yo and 5 yo are complete opposites!!!!
Thanks, twins for the links, I'd never heard of club mom, but have visited parent center many many many times.
mmdd....I dont know if you know about these two site or if youre already a member....but they usually are very helpful and give great advice about raising children......maybe these links will help.
http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/
http://www.clubmom.com/jforum/forums/show/38.page?lastMid=263118
I personally dont buy into our son's schools theory of "because he's gifted" ...we have a 6 yr old 1st grader who reads at a 3rd grade level....but has trouble following directions. His teacher and the school is always quick to excuse it as because he is gifted....my husband and I see it as....because honestly if he is so damn smart then he best be smart enough to sit his rear down and behave!!
I think if a child hears an excuse...for anything they are going to continue the behavior and fall on the excuse,.....
kids who are gifted tend to have their minds so full that they don't leave room to think of daily stuff. Every single teacher my son has had (and we've been to two countries and two states and within the last state, three schools) they ALL say that gifted kids also tend to be scatter brained. I KNOW this is a generalization, but the absent minded professor did come from somewhere. My son is classified as highly gifted, yet, he never remembers his backpack, forgets what I told him to do the minute before and is so disorganized it's not even funny. My husband? the exact same. I'm always amazed at how darn smart he is yet he can't find his checkbook or remember to take out the garbage because he forgot what day of the week it was. They are thinking bigger and better things and the things they feel "waste their time" get shoved out.
Now that my son is in a gifted classroom he finally has a teacher that has a classroom full of forgetful, disorganized kids and FINALLY, because of pure necessity, she has come up with a better way to help the kids with organization.
Do I think it gives kids an excuse to be sloppy and forgetful? Of course not, but they have more troubles (generally) in that area and just need to work on it more than the average - that's all. High IQ doesn't mean they are perfectly behaved or have good habit... it only means they have a high IQ period.
Melissa
My suggestion is: don't make him read out loud. Let him read silently, then ask questions to make sure he understood the content.
Cheers, from
SwampWitch
My suggestion is: don't make him read out loud. Let him read silently, then ask questions to make sure he understood the content.
Cheers, from
SwampWitch
I really like this idea....reading quietly to himself.
He does a very good job of putting his finger under the word as he reads it, so he should do well with this.
I'm just so relieved that he actually read the book perfectly today!!!!
Your son's school is flat out wrong to put that kind of reading pressure on him. When children are that young they should be learning to enjoy reading not just how to read. Have you looked at the books teachers want children to read? BORING. no wonder he dreads it so much. That is only going to teach him that reading is miserable. I suggest going to the library and choosing fun books and "buddy" read with him. (you read a page, he reads a page) Take you son's side and tell the teacher that y'all will read the books he chooses instead of their readers. He will learn more words that way. Sorry, I'm a little passionate about this subject because I saw how it practically ruined my brothers academic career. Now I tutor children in reading and they are progressing so much better this way and they really like it.
edited to say: if he still has to read the readers then maybe you can read them to him but you two can read the books he chooses.
mmdd,
I did not read every single response here so I am sorry if I repeat what someone else has already said 
I taught Kindergarten for 7 years before I became a SAHM. Our program did not expect a 5 or 6 year old to read, if they did then it was a "bonus" but there was no pressure. I TRULY believe if a child get the phonics backround they will start to read when they are ready. There is WAY TOO much pressure on these poor little guys to read so fast. In my district 1st grade was chock full of everything and I thought it was way too much. They had to learn it all in one year.
My advice is just support him when necessary and if he is looking frustrated back away from it for a while. This can become a major power struggle with kids. As long as a child is not learning disabled it will come in it's own due time I don't know how helpful that was but it is coming from a teacher who has seen many a parent loose sleep over the subject 
That is a shame that they are pressuring the kids so young nowadays. Mine is only a year old but looks like school won't be much fun at this rate. I believe they are doing this to make the next generation more competitive in the world market - I disagree. I think it is better to let kids have their own natural pace and be open to all things and the more they enjoy it the better they learn. My husband is from India and they begin school (full-time, not preschool) at age 3 - this kind of pressure is the norm and school is not fun. Studies are something that are forced upon kids in their life and expectations are very high. I hope we are not heading in the same direction here.
On the same note, however, I also agree with what has been said here about gifted kids and being bored. Gifted kids do need more stimulation, or they do get very bored and act out. My brother was one of those and when he started home schooling he was really happy and was done and into college before the regular crowd. He always was scatterbrained too though (example: 10 sets of car keys on standby at our house as he was constantly losing them or locking them in the car, LOL....)
Anyway, sounds like he will do fine now that he is reading better, maybe he just needed a little push or a little more personal attention/praise to help him get back into it. The library idea is real good - let him pick something that interests him rather than the dull school-issued stuff to read at home
He read another book last night.....it was an 8 pg reader...it read it perfect except for one word, err...name, it was Kim.....he wanted to call it Ken, so I don't know if they worked on it at school or he was trying to sound it out.
They do work on a lot of sounds (phonics) at school. They did that for the entire first month until he ever got a reader, and they started them out with the 4 pg. readers.
I gave him another spongebob sticker for reading so well.
We did his math home work last night, not adding & subtracting yet, but they're getting to that...they're already working on telling time!!; and once all of his homework was finished, except for the reader, I handed it to him and said try to read this TO YOURSELF....he sat there and it took him a bit, so I told him I'd be right back...tended to myother son for a bit, then came back and he read it very well...I'm not gonna fret over one word/name; and he almost got it anyway, lol.
So...we're getting there.
Thanks again, everyone!!!
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