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Parents, Make Sure Your Child Can Read

When a parent believes that their child is on track with their reading but later finds out the opposite it can be earth shattering. The shock of a lifetime for one family may be a blessing to you, and that is why I share this story. Remember to make sure your child can read.

We Thought Our Daughter Could Read

Surprise!

A change in schools brought disturbing information to light for the Nambler’s.   New school, new teacher, and big news.  Their lovely 2nd grade daughter, Jocelyn – could not read.

They expected some mistake had been made.  They didn’t know this school or this teacher.

Jocelyn’s grades were good and her former teachers never indicated there was any kind of problem with her  reading.  In fact, she carried a book everywhere she went.

The Nambler’s never anticipated a routine parent-teacher conference would shake their world, but it did. The reading assessment the new school routinely administered to all their students, indicated Jocelyn’s skills were at a beginning first grade level.  She could barely read.

I’ve heard of adults who can’t read, and keep that fact hidden from friends, coworkers and family for years, which is amazing to me.  I didn’t realize kids could do the same thing.

A Word to Our Schools

Schools of good reputation can still be tragically negligent in identifying student where students are concerned. Shame on you. This kind of story is truly sad.

When parents think everything is fine at school because of the reports that you gave them.

A student attended your school and you did not recognize her reading deficiencies. informed her parents and addressed her issues with appropriate interventions? I have to wonder how much longer it would have taken to get her proper help as well since you were so delayed in noticing she was behind.

How did this ever happen?

A True Story

I share the experience of the Nambler family because Jocelyn’s mom recently told me about it. It truly is a sad story and an added challenge parent’s should not have had to go through.

Was this story an exceptional oversight by a school?  Hopefully, yes.

And if it happened to them, could it happen to someone else? That is where the bigger issues and concerns can be found.

The Blessing

Jocelyn’s change of schools lead to an assessment that opened her parents’ eyes to a hard truth. After their initial shock, when the school identified the problem. The Nambler’s faced the situation head on. They supported the school’s interventions, grateful their daughter received the extra help she required to become a successful reader. Jocelyn reads on grade level today.

New school, new truths, new life. Now that’s a silver lining!

In Summary:

  • Parents, don’t leave it all up to the educational system.
  • Check on your child’s reading yourself (use this free printable checklist to check their progress)
  • It’s never too late to get your child the added support they may need. Tutoring is a great way to ensure they get the quality one-on-one help needed to reach milestones in their education.

Note: Consider a reading assessment by a qualified reading teacher to learn the specifics of your child’s current reading skills.

If you have any concerns, talk to your child’s teacher – the sooner, the better.

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