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Post by Bonobo on Nov 22, 2015 0:28:05 GMT 1
I do pity kids with acute dyslexia (I also pity myself). Teaching them a foreign language like English is a drudgery both for them and the teacher. They need twice or even thrice more time to master certain things than average students.
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Post by jeanne on Nov 22, 2015 14:16:15 GMT 1
I do pity kids with acute dyslexia (I also pity myself). Teaching them a foreign language like English is a drudgery both for them and the teacher. They need twice or even thrice more time to master certain things than average students. In the U.S., if a student is on an IEP (Individualized Education Program) because of a language-based learning disability (which dyslexia is), then colleges must waive their entrance requirement for whatever number of years of foreign language they normally require for admittance. Our Special Educ. students with language-based learning disabilities hardly ever took foreign language courses...they had enough problems understanding English vocabulary and mastering other courses required for college admittance! |
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Post by Bonobo on Nov 22, 2015 21:19:02 GMT 1
I do pity kids with acute dyslexia (I also pity myself). Teaching them a foreign language like English is a drudgery both for them and the teacher. They need twice or even thrice more time to master certain things than average students. In the U.S., if a student is on an IEP (Individualized Education Program) because of a language-based learning disability (which dyslexia is), then colleges must waive their entrance requirement for whatever number of years of foreign language they normally require for admittance. Our Special Educ. students with language-based learning disabilities hardly ever took foreign language courses...they had enough problems understanding English vocabulary and mastering other courses required for college admittance! I wouldn`t advise Polish lawmakers to introduce this rule here. Dyslexic kids should learn a foreign language and they do in Poland. They are treated in a special way, though. E.g., their spelling mistakes are overlooked, they get extended time at tests etc. |
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Post by jeanne on Nov 22, 2015 21:57:34 GMT 1
I wouldn`t advise Polish lawmakers to introduce this rule here. Dyslexic kids should learn a foreign language and they do in Poland. They are treated in a special way, though. E.g., their spelling mistakes are overlooked, they get extended time at tests etc. Those are very reasonable accommodations! But, as you say, teaching them can be a frustrating experience...as can their trying to learn! |
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Post by Bonobo on Oct 23, 2016 16:47:14 GMT 1
In Septemeber I started giving lessons to a 10 yo boy who has severe dyslexia. Even when he copies words from his book, he can make a few mistakes in each. He reads bag as dog, doctor as actor and vice versa etc. Nothing new. However, mother`s attitude is interesting. She knows about the problem but she refuses to accept it. She claims that the boy, now in 3rd year, didn`t have enough writing practice in 2nd year. When I mentioned dyslexia as an obvious reason after our first lesson, she frowned and insisted on the lack of practice. I felt she was angry with me. I won`t say anything about dyslexia again because she might dismiss me for telling the truth.  I am going to wait until the mother realises the facts on her own. BTW, she is a teacher. |
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Post by jeanne on Oct 24, 2016 15:52:57 GMT 1
In Septemeber I started giving lessons to a 10 yo boy who has severe dyslexia. Even when he copies words from his book, he can make a few mistakes in each. He reads bag as dog, doctor as actor and vice versa etc. Nothing new. However, mother`s attitude is interesting. She knows about the problem but she refuses to accept it. She claims that the boy, now in 3rd year, didn`t have enough writing practice in 2nd year. When I mentioned dyslexia as an obvious reason after our first lesson, she frowned and insisted on the lack of practice. I felt she was angry with me. I won`t say anything about dyslexia again because she might dismiss me for telling the truth. I am going to wait until the mother realises the facts on her own. BTW, she is a teacher. So many parents of children with learning disabilities are in denial! They simply cannot accept that it is their child with a problem. You may have to wait a l-o-n-g time for her to realize the facts on her own! BTW - I speak as someone who worked in Special Education for many years... |
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Post by Bonobo on Oct 24, 2016 21:13:19 GMT 1
So many parents of children with learning disabilities are in denial! They simply cannot accept that it is their child with a problem. You may have to wait a l-o-n-g time for her to realize the facts on her own! BTW - I speak as someone who worked in Special Education for many years... Well, they fear that certain negative stigmata will stick to their kids forever. But I saw people in their late teens who suffered from severe dyslexia as children but through systematic training in logopedic center and home they managed to almost get rid of its most conspicuous symptoms. The mother started having first doubts last week. She said: "I don`t see any improvement, it looks like it is getting even worse and worse." I said nothing, just in case. She must still ripen a little more before I suggest taking the boy to a local logopedic centre. But the fact is such things should be dealt with by the school, not parents. It is the teacher who should notice problems and send the kid to specialists. But I saw the boy`s notebook and workbook haven`t been checked yet. Interesting that you mention a lot of Am parents in denial. I thought that it is some Polish parents who are backward. To be honest, not many parents behave like that mother. Most have proper attitude. That`s why I mentioned her as a special case. |
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Post by jeanne on Oct 24, 2016 22:43:44 GMT 1
Interesting that you mention a lot of Am parents in denial. I thought that it is some Polish parents who are backward. To be honest, not many parents behave like that mother. Most have proper attitude. That`s why I mentioned her as a special case. We do, of course, have parents that accept the assessment and do move forward to get help for their children. But then, we also have those parents who insist their child needs extra help when they don't. They hope to gain an advantage for their children with the extra (non-needed) help in hopes that they will do well on standardized tests and gain acceptance to the most competitive colleges!! |
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Post by Bonobo on Oct 25, 2016 19:29:35 GMT 1
We do, of course, have parents that accept the assessment and do move forward to get help for their children. But then, we also have those parents who insist their child needs extra help when they don't. They hope to gain an advantage for their children with the extra (non-needed) help in hopes that they will do well on standardized tests and gain acceptance to the most competitive colleges!! I admit I don`t understand. What kind of extra help do some parents demand and why their kids don`t deserve it? Are the kids dyslexic or not? |
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Post by jeanne on Oct 25, 2016 20:55:45 GMT 1
We do, of course, have parents that accept the assessment and do move forward to get help for their children. But then, we also have those parents who insist their child needs extra help when they don't. They hope to gain an advantage for their children with the extra (non-needed) help in hopes that they will do well on standardized tests and gain acceptance to the most competitive colleges!! I admit I don`t understand. What kind of extra help do some parents demand and why their kids don`t deserve it? Are the kids dyslexic or not? There are actually some parents whose child does not have learning disabilities (perhaps just needs some remediation), but the parents go looking for a diagnosis in order to access Special Education. If these people show up at a hospital looking for a diagnosis, they usually get one...the diagnosing of learning disabilities is not a strictly black and white process; much of it is a "gray" area allowing for professionals to "stretch" things a bit and come up with a diagnosis for pushy parents who insist their child needs intervention. The parents feel having the one-on-one help of special educators will give the child an advantage in their education and put them ahead of others in the rat race for college acceptances.(Kind of like having a free tutor...) This is a rare occurrence, but does happen. |
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Post by Bonobo on Oct 25, 2016 21:28:00 GMT 1
There are actually some parents whose child does not have learning disabilities (perhaps just needs some remediation), but the parents go looking for a diagnosis in order to access Special Education. If these people show up at a hospital looking for a diagnosis, they usually get one...the diagnosing of learning disabilities is not a strictly black and white process; much of it is a "gray" area allowing for professionals to "stretch" things a bit and come up with a diagnosis for pushy parents who insist their child needs intervention. The parents feel having the one-on-one help of special educators will give the child an advantage in their education and put them ahead of others in the rat race for college acceptances.(Kind of like having a free tutor...) This is a rare occurrence, but does happen. Aaah, this one. I have heard rumours that smart parents obtain dyslexia certificates for their underachieving kids after paying bribes, but so far I have never met a dyslexia certified student whom I should suspect of simulating/faking the disfunction. So, it must be really a rumour. In each class of about 25 students there are 3-4 who have certificates. |
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Post by jeanne on Oct 25, 2016 22:10:45 GMT 1
There are actually some parents whose child does not have learning disabilities (perhaps just needs some remediation), but the parents go looking for a diagnosis in order to access Special Education. If these people show up at a hospital looking for a diagnosis, they usually get one...the diagnosing of learning disabilities is not a strictly black and white process; much of it is a "gray" area allowing for professionals to "stretch" things a bit and come up with a diagnosis for pushy parents who insist their child needs intervention. The parents feel having the one-on-one help of special educators will give the child an advantage in their education and put them ahead of others in the rat race for college acceptances.(Kind of like having a free tutor...) This is a rare occurrence, but does happen. Aaah, this one. I have heard rumours that smart parents obtain dyslexia certificates for their underachieving kids after paying bribes, but so far I have never met a dyslexia certified student whom I should suspect of simulating/faking the disfunction. So, it must be really a rumour. In each class of about 25 students there are 3-4 who have certificates. Yes, it would be difficult to fake dyslexia, but there are a host of other language-based disorders that aren't so clear cut and obvious. |
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Post by Bonobo on Oct 29, 2016 20:51:55 GMT 1
Another student of mine is so dyslexic he can`t even repeat properly what I say: during today`s lesson, instead of nickname, he said nickman, then nickmain. He also read curly as cool, grey as girl. Even when I write phonetic transcription (POLONISED) for him or ask him to write it himself, he isn`t able to read it properly. Poor boy.
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Post by jeanne on Oct 29, 2016 23:52:49 GMT 1
Another student of mine is so dyslexic he can`t even repeat properly what I say: during today`s lesson, instead of nickname, he said nickman, then nickmain. He also read curly as cool, grey as girl. Even when I write phonetic transcription (POLONISED) for him or ask him to write it himself, he isn`t able to read it properly. Poor boy. Sounds like he has more than "just" dyslexia going on...perhaps also a speech disorder? |
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Post by Bonobo on Nov 10, 2016 22:12:21 GMT 1
Another student of mine is so dyslexic he can`t even repeat properly what I say: during today`s lesson, instead of nickname, he said nickman, then nickmain. He also read curly as cool, grey as girl. Even when I write phonetic transcription (POLONISED) for him or ask him to write it himself, he isn`t able to read it properly. Poor boy. Sounds like he has more than "just" dyslexia going on...perhaps also a speech disorder? No, only severe dyslexia. I have been teaching him for 4 years now, it was me who advised the mother to take him to the logopedic centre, after the boy`s teachers ignored the problem.
The mother started having first doubts last week. She said: "I don`t see any improvement, it looks like it is getting even worse and worse." I said nothing, just in case. She must still ripen a little more before I suggest taking the boy to a local logopedic centre. But the fact is such things should be dealt with by the school, not parents. It is the teacher who should notice problems and send the kid to specialists. But I saw the boy`s notebook and workbook haven`t been checked yet.Read more: polandsite.proboards.com/post/32897/quote/3501?page=1#ixzz4Pdrq8MTmThe process of ripening has been stopped for a while. The boy wrote a short test in the English class and despite a loads of blatant errors (I saw the paper - A:Do you have a dog? B:Yes, I am. ), received -B (in Polish school: -5). The mother was in 7th heaven, so grateful to me. I suppose the English teacher had decided to close an eye and let the kid(s) off without much ado about his/their serious mistakes. Let me remind you, the mother teaches ICT in her son`s school. |
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Post by jeanne on Nov 10, 2016 22:20:28 GMT 1
Let me remind you, the mother teaches ICT in her son`s school. What is ICT? |
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Post by Bonobo on Nov 10, 2016 22:43:35 GMT 1
Let me remind you, the mother teaches ICT in her son`s school. What is ICT? Information and Communication Technology, previously Information Technology, ex Computer Studies. |
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Post by jeanne on Nov 10, 2016 22:46:27 GMT 1
Information and Communication Technology, previously Information Technology, ex Computer Studies. I would imagine that if she knows her stuff she would have some "technological tricks up her sleeve" to help her son with his problem. We use a lot of assistive technology here to help kids with reading problems... |
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Post by Bonobo on Nov 10, 2016 23:07:41 GMT 1
Information and Communication Technology, previously Information Technology, ex Computer Studies. I would imagine that if she knows her stuff she would have some "technological tricks up her sleeve" to help her son with his problem. We use a lot of assistive technology here to help kids with reading problems... The problem is she refuses to acknowledge the problem. |
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Post by jeanne on Nov 11, 2016 2:19:25 GMT 1
I would imagine that if she knows her stuff she would have some "technological tricks up her sleeve" to help her son with his problem. We use a lot of assistive technology here to help kids with reading problems... The problem is she refuses to acknowledge the problem. Ah, yes, I forgot about that... |
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Post by Bonobo on Nov 18, 2017 0:08:17 GMT 1
The mother told me rather sad news. The boy hasn`t been officially diagnosed but the Polish teacher noticed the problem and sent him to extra improvement class. Classmates found out and some of them deride him now, calling him retard etc. Fortunately, he is not so hopeless after all. He knows the meaning of many words and is able to utter them quite properly. And he is ambitious. I praise his efforts and noticed that he sort of took to our lessons. At least, he has stopped sighing with relief when the lesson finishes. |
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Post by jeanne on Nov 18, 2017 22:40:51 GMT 1
The mother told me rather sad news. The boy hasn`t been officially diagnosed but the Polish teacher noticed the problem and sent him to extra improvement class. Classmates found out and some of them deride him now, calling him retard etc. Fortunately, he is not so hopeless after all. He knows the meaning of many words and is able to utter them quite properly. And he is ambitious. I praise his efforts and noticed that he sort of took to our lessons. At least, he has stopped sighing with relief when the lesson finishes. It is good that he seems to be ambitious and has taken to your lessons...that's reason for optimism! Sad, though that he is being made fun of by classmates. The same thing happens here. Sometimes the kids in school call each other "speds" (from Special Education) as a derogatory term whether or not the one being ridiculed is in Spec. Ed. One day I had rounded up two 10-year-olds from their classes to go with me for a remedial program. These two boys were friends, and both had just been placed in the Spec. Ed. program and both of them were still trying to adjust and accept the fact that they themselves were now part of the program. I was standing in the hallway waiting for a third student to join us, when a boy walked by. One of my students said to his buddy, "That kid's a sped"...meaning he had a low opinion of the boy. His buddy looked at him and exclaimed, "We're speds!" It was a shocking wake-up moment for both of them that they shouldn't be applying that label in a derogatory way to other kids just because they may not like them. We have an expression, "the shoe is on the other foot" that certainly applied here! (I was laughing to myself at the lesson well-learned on their own!) |
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Post by Bonobo on Nov 19, 2017 0:26:35 GMT 1
Sad, though that he is being made fun of by classmates. The same thing happens here. Sometimes the kids in school call each other "speds" (from Special Education) as a derogatory term whether or not the one being ridiculed is in Spec. Ed. One day I had rounded up two 10-year-olds from their classes to go with me for a remedial program. These two boys were friends, and both had just been placed in the Spec. Ed. program and both of them were still trying to adjust and accept the fact that they themselves were now part of the program. I was standing in the hallway waiting for a third student to join us, when a boy walked by. One of my students said to his buddy, "That kid's a sped"...meaning he had a low opinion of the boy. His buddy looked at him and exclaimed, "We're speds!" It was a shocking wake-up moment for both of them that they shouldn't be applying that label in a derogatory way to other kids just because they may not like them. We have an expression, "the shoe is on the other foot" that certainly applied here! (I was laughing to myself at the lesson well-learned on their own!) Experts on political correctness should definitely think about a new term because the old one gained the derogatory meaning long ago. When I was a pupil myself, the term "special school" existed and it was very offensive to use it against mates, like "you should attend a special school, you retard." I just checked and the name is still used today. zss11.krakow.pl/ |
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Post by jeanne on Nov 19, 2017 4:09:30 GMT 1
Sad, though that he is being made fun of by classmates. The same thing happens here. Sometimes the kids in school call each other "speds" (from Special Education) as a derogatory term whether or not the one being ridiculed is in Spec. Ed. One day I had rounded up two 10-year-olds from their classes to go with me for a remedial program. These two boys were friends, and both had just been placed in the Spec. Ed. program and both of them were still trying to adjust and accept the fact that they themselves were now part of the program. I was standing in the hallway waiting for a third student to join us, when a boy walked by. One of my students said to his buddy, "That kid's a sped"...meaning he had a low opinion of the boy. His buddy looked at him and exclaimed, "We're speds!" It was a shocking wake-up moment for both of them that they shouldn't be applying that label in a derogatory way to other kids just because they may not like them. We have an expression, "the shoe is on the other foot" that certainly applied here! (I was laughing to myself at the lesson well-learned on their own!) Experts on political correctness should definitely think about a new term because the old one gained the derogatory meaning long ago. When I was a pupil myself, the term "special school" existed and it was very offensive to use it against mates, like "you should attend a special school, you retard." I just checked and the name is still used today. zss11.krakow.pl/The dilemma is that no matter what term they use, it will eventually be used as derogatory! In the U.S. the term "retarded" is no longer seen as correct. Students with these problems are described as "developmentally delayed" or "intellectually challenged." Is that also true in Poland? |
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Post by Bonobo on Nov 19, 2017 12:55:36 GMT 1
The dilemma is that no matter what term they use, it will eventually be used as derogatory! In the U.S. the term "retarded" is no longer seen as correct. Students with these problems are described as "developmentally delayed" or "intellectually challenged." Is that also true in Poland? Yes, exactly. Yes, retarded was replaced by delayed. |
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Post by jeanne on Nov 19, 2017 13:01:37 GMT 1
The dilemma is that no matter what term they use, it will eventually be used as derogatory! In the U.S. the term "retarded" is no longer seen as correct. Students with these problems are described as "developmentally delayed" or "intellectually challenged." Is that also true in Poland? Yes, exactly. Yes, retarded was replaced by delayed. So I guess the challenge now is to be a society/culture that raises children to be more compassionate with their peers...but this is an age-old problem which will probably always exist because learning to be compassionate is exactly that: LEARNING, and is a part of growing-up and maturing. We (our society/cultures) need, of course, parents and other educators who will recognize this and TEACH children compassion as well as other moral values! |
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Post by Bonobo on Apr 22, 2018 15:40:01 GMT 1
But, as you say, teaching them can be a frustrating experience...as can their trying to learn! However, every few years I come across a kid with acute progressive dyslexia who is extremely gifted. I wish other students were like the new boy this year. Look at his email, we have a deal that I don`t correct his spelling mistakes. The topic concerns changing school.  To compare Non-dyslexic student`s email  Another email. A lot of question marks are the worst sign - he/she must write it again.  |
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Post by Bonobo on Dec 4, 2018 9:12:27 GMT 1
The mother told me rather sad news. The boy hasn`t been officially diagnosed but the Polish teacher noticed the problem and sent him to extra improvement class. Classmates found out and some of them deride him now, calling him retard etc. Fortunately, he is not so hopeless after all. He knows the meaning of many words and is able to utter them quite properly. And he is ambitious. I praise his efforts and noticed that he sort of took to our lessons. At least, he has stopped sighing with relief when the lesson finishes. It is good that he seems to be ambitious and has taken to your lessons...that's reason for optimism! He has other advantages, though. A very good memory - I was shocked when he was able to remember all details from a short text that we had read one week earlier. It had been the end of our lesson and we had managed to read the text only without answering the questions under it. A week later, supposing he had forgotten everything, I asked him to read it again but he said he didn`t need to. Wow. He also remembers the words and is able to utter them quite correctly ( when he isn`t reading them but recalling). Mother eventually agreed to the fact of his dyslexia but is still hesitating whether to continue formally with it - he does well in most subjects. |
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Post by jeanne on Dec 4, 2018 18:36:03 GMT 1
It is good that he seems to be ambitious and has taken to your lessons...that's reason for optimism! He has other advantages, though. A very good memory - I was shocked when he was able to remember all details from a short text that we had read one week earlier. It had been the end of our lesson and we had managed to read the text only without answering the questions under it. A week later, supposing he had forgotten everything, I asked him to read it again but he said he didn`t need to. Wow. He also remembers the words and is able to utter them quite correctly ( when he isn`t reading them but recalling). Mother eventually agreed to the fact of his dyslexia but is still hesitating whether to continue formally with it - he does well in most subjects. Yes, it amazes me how clever dyslexic kids can be in coping with their disability. It sometimes does not work in their favor, though, since it takes teachers longer to actually discern that they have reading problems! I've seen it happen! |
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Post by Bonobo on Dec 6, 2018 22:09:35 GMT 1
Yes, it amazes me how clever dyslexic kids can be in coping with their disability. It sometimes does not work in their favor, though, since it takes teachers longer to actually discern that they have reading problems! I've seen it happen! An experienced teacher is able to smell the rat very soon. It has already happened a few times that after the first or second lesson I asked parents if the student was dyslexic and they corroborated and showed the papers. But the boy mentioned above is one of few cases of kids whose problems I recognised and informed a higher authority about as first. Did you see the text written by a dyslexic Polish student of mine posted above? See how many versions of school he wrote. |
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