Are you stupid or something?

You may remember my dilemma with Spencer last summer with his delay in reading skills. He repeated kindergarten this year and is doing great in everything except reading. It continues to challenge him. It's like there is something blocking his ability to understand the relationship between the letters, sounds and words. Reading is frustrating for him and for me.

I met with his teacher last week to talk about his needs. They are going to have Spencer evaluated for possible learning disabilities. He will continue to get extra support from the reading specialist at the school and he will be moved on to first grade in the fall. He will go to the summer school program during summer to get extra help. We are looking into getting some tutoring help for him. I don't think he has a disability. I think he is just at a slower pace than other kids his age. Poor Spence. I really want this skill to "click" in his brain. I know it is so important for him to have good reading ability because it is the foundation for so much in his future. I am confident that we are on the right path of support for him.

Sometimes I worry that this problem is caused by our large family. I worry that he is lost in the shuffle. I don't have as much one on one time with any of the kids as a family with less kids would. Is that what Spencer needs? I expressed these concerns to his teacher. Her response made me feel so great. His problem isn't because he has lots of brothers and sisters. She said some wonderfully positive things about the joys of teaching children who come from large families. I don't hear things like that very often and I left the conference feeling so validated and joyful. I'm so thankful that we have been blessed with such a wonderful teacher. I know there are so many people on Spencer's team rooting for him and he will catch up thanks to the efforts of all of them.

Weekly Top Five 1/21/2008

Top Five Favorite Teachers

1. Mr. Scott Robertson--Taught me history for two years at St. Ursula. He was an incredible teacher. He knew his subject, he liked adolescents and working with us and you left his class actually enjoying history. He didn't start out as a teacher but worked somewhere else, went back to school and got his degree later in life. Mr. Robertson died my junior year of a heart attack. Everyone in our class was devastated. He was irreplaceable.

2. Mrs. Jane McGee--Also had Mrs. McGee in high school. I started out with her in sophomore Religion and gave her such a hard time. She was a little aloof at first and I had a hard time getting to know her. Finally, towards the end of the year, I really started enjoying her as a teacher and as a person. She had several of us over to her house and cooked us dinner. I remember it being really fun. My junior year, I couldn't fit the Latin class that I needed into my schedule, and she offered to teach me before school, on her own time. I came in early and had a one-on-one class with her. I think back now and I am amazed at that kind of dedication to a student.

3. Miss Heuring, now Mrs. Rodgers--I had Miss Heuring for the 4th grade. She was pretty and nice. I wanted to be just like her. She was great especially coming off Mrs. Molly Mott in the 3rd grade who was the meanest teacher EVER.

4. Sister Mary Caroline--Sister Caroline taught 8th grade math. She was a nun and old and mean but had a fun streak in her and somehow I was able to get on her good side and we really hit it off. Because of her, I was able to get my scholarship to St. Ursula.

5. Mr. Roy Williamson--I had Mr. Williamson for junior American Literature. He was a bit eccentric (gay) and spoke with a very interesting accent (gay), but he was mesmerizing to listen to. Most everything I learned about writing, I learned from him. I'll never forget his recitation of Edgar Allen Poe's, "The Bells."