Credit: http://www.Book-Clipart.com
Late last night while looking up lesson plan ideas, I ran across a rambling online comment by a parent who effused that her child “wouldn’t have learned to read” in “any environment other than a classroom with a teacher and peers.” That’s all well and good. However, the writer went on to describe the tears and fits that followed when she tried to force the poor kid to read in Kindergarten. She then took a swipe at homeschooling as being clearly inferior because she’d failed to teach her kid to read before age 7.
Oh, boy. This kind of stuff really gets me. And it’s not the slight to homeschooling because, let’s face it, they ain’t all created equal. (Neither are public or private schools, but I digress.)
When I read the post, I quickly cobbled together a comment addressing when a typical child will learn to read. (In other words, we’re assuming that the child in question doesn’t have a learning disability.) After I drafted it, I had second thoughts and decided to post my remarks here. Why? Because I’ve been wanting to say something about the race-to-the-finish approach that pops up in the minds of otherwise sensible parents.
My thoughts on the topic:
Until a child completes the “5-to-7 shift“–and the attending improved capacity for memory, teaching strategies and success vary for individual children, peers or no. Motivation is great, but better still is having a child that is “ready” in body and brain.
Once the shift occurs–and it won’t happen all at once in all subject areas (“asynchronosity”), it can blossom rapidly into mastery. For other kids, reading may always be a challenge. And that’s okay.
Upshot: they’ll learn to read on their own time. Some will be introverted and like to do it alone. Others in a peer group. Parents would do well to remember that fact, especially when tossing about phrases like “he felt stupid because he couldn’t read” and “clearly he was suffering” in reference to early reading lessons. It isn’t a competition. It’s LEARNING. It’s a process that deserves respect, not a shove.
I’ll add, too, that the most successful people I’ve encountered in my life are products of homes and schools where the whole child is nurtured, not just her academic prowess. Would that such an attitude were to take deeper root…
Anyhoo, if you’re interested in nurturing–not pushing–your kid’s efforts to read, check out this page from the University of Michigan Health System. No magic wands, no fairy dust, no tears.
Follow-Up Post: Don’t Believe Me? Ask a Doctor
Pamela Price is an award-winning blogger, writer, editor, and homeschooler in San Antonio, Texas. She learned to read in 1st grade and is still addicted to it. Pamela can be found on Twitter at @redwhiteandgrew. More of education-related writings can be found here.
Posted by JuJuBee on August 30, 2011 at 8:03 pm
Oh,thank you so much for this post.My 6 year old doesn’t really read yet. Everyone is freaked out by it. The teacher insisted he spend 1 hr,3 days a week going to a Summer Reading Program. My husband is upset that it’s the end of the summer and kiddo is going into 1st grade not knowing how to read. I seem to be the only one not worried. He loves books and we read all the time. I know he recognizes some sight words, has the skills to sound out some words if he really tries….he’ll get around to the rest,I figure
Posted by poprice on August 30, 2011 at 8:24 pm
You’re welcome!
I’ve got a post coming early next week with advice from principals (of award-winning schools, I might add) who heavily emphasis reading TO children being critical. It sounds like you’re on the right path.
Given the pressure and expectations society puts on school kids, it’s no wonder that folks like your husband feel frustrated. The more we share information, the more we can release parents and kids from frustration.
Disclosure: My kid was a “spontaneous” reader. He did it early by breaking the code. We did nothing–save for reading to him A LOT–to encourage it. No flash cards. No workbooks. Until that happened with us, I–like a lot of folks–would have been tempted to push by 1st grade because that “seems” the norm. That’s when I learned to read.
I think it’s human nature to want to see your kid succeed early, especially at such a basic skill. But parents and kids need to slow down, cuddle and read. It’ll happen.
Posted by Malea on August 31, 2011 at 9:43 am
Love it! A balanced approach, and loving, nurturing atmosphere are so much more important than a strict reading timeline, and comparison to others. My brother taught himself to read because he had motivation – my sister and I refusing to tell him when sports were on tv. He taught himself using the TV guide. My mom and grandmothers read TO my sister and I constantly, and eventually we were reading without instruction as a result of sitting in their laps, looking at the pages while they read. And, the best readers I know all learned to read on their own schedule, with lots of access to books, and lots of time being read TO.
Posted by poprice on August 31, 2011 at 10:14 am
Thank you, Malea.
The “Development Derby” can really mess with a parent’s perception of her kiddo. I think it’s better to look for reliable information on “the range of ages in which kids learn to read” versus using another kid or two as yardsticks. There’s just such wide variance in “normal” in regard to human development.