Feeling dispondent

[Itshouldntmatter]

Firstly, let me say that this is a blatantly insignificant problem in the grand scale of things, and I'm probably over reacting. Also, my DD (6, Y2) isn't gifted and talented compared to many of your children, but she is a (very?) advanced reader. She loves to read. But school don't seem to be responding or recognising it.

I do not entirely care what level DD is on, as long as the reading material is challenging her in some way. There is obviously a wealth of vocabulary and depth of story understanding that she could (and in my view should) be learning and thinking about. DD has had some serious issues with shyness in school. In her first school (YR), she barely spoke to (or even looked at) the teachers. Outside school she is not shy. However, in her old school that caused problems because it is very hard to identify who a child is or what they are capable of if they won't speak. I thought that things had gotten much much better in Y1 at her current school.

But DD had previously reported to me that they don't really do much in her phonics sessions. I was hoping that they were doing fun stuff and she didn't really realise that she was learning. However, yesterday she told me that the guided reading that she was doing was stage 11. She said it was boring and too easy. To be honest, the books she is bringing home from school she finds easy, and those are two stages higher. They have a handful of words that she struggles with, and yesterday there was one she didn't understand which she asked me about. But they are considerably easier in terms of vocabulary and structure than the books DD reads by choice. She reads a lot by choice. She reads in the car on the way to school, and on the way home, she reads before she goes to bed, and she will often take herself off on the weekend and read for a couple of hours. If she has a book she particularly likes, she will read for hours. She has read and re-read all of the Enid Blyton boarding school books, she likes Noel Streatfield, she is loving Antonia Forest's Marlow school books, and she also likes Horrid Henry :)

I appreciate that I may be missing something, and there may be reasons as to why she is reading significantly more basic material at school than she reads through choice, but at the same time I am very concerned that she feels demotivated and unchallenged by what she is doing in school. School should be stimulating and exciting!

I have written to the teacher today, and I know it is probably a ridiculously insignificant problem, but I guess I am wondering if I am being unreasonable to expect the school to be seeing what she can do and challenging her (assuming that I haven't missed something massive here which explains what they are doing).

[Itshouldntmatter]

AAARRRGGGG!!!!!!! And I've spelt despondent wrong!!!!!!!!
Many apologies. I'm dyslexic, and there was no spell check in the damn title.

[user789653241]

My ds was best reader in class when he was in YR2, so for guided reading, he always read books from lower levels with other children. He never complained it was too easy or boring.
He reads his choice of books for pleasure, so I didn't think it was such a big deal about what he reads at school for different purpose.

But I think it's ok to mention your concern to the teacher. My ds was really shy and the reception teacher told me she didn't realize his ability until I mentioned it to her... because he didn't say much in class!

[Itshouldntmatter]

Thanks for replying Irvine. Thing is, what I'm confused about is that there are (at least) two higher group reading groups. She does group reading in the Y3 classroom, along with a good number from her class. I know I can just wait to see what the teacher says, and that I am being precious, but if I knew that the teacher was even aware of what she could do, then I would feel a whole lot better.

[user789653241]

Well in that case, you really should find out what's happening and sort it out. If she goes to year above, maybe she might feel less confident and cannot show her true ability, especially if she is shy.
If there are other children at her levels, it doesn't make sense that she has to read easier books.

Hope it goes well.

[NotWorkingOut]

I have very similar with my DD the same age! She's reading stage 8 at school, but has a reading age of around 9. The cynical part of me says she's reading so much lower because there's no one else at her level and it's easier for the teachers, but the nice part of me wants to believe there's a proper reason for it! I completely get that she needs to do guided reading, it's just a shame they can't pick something harder for individual reads.

[MMmomKK]

This is a common issue. Dd1 was in the same boat back in Y1-2, and she was at a private school many considered a "hot house". The only explanation I was given for the school books that were too easy for her was that reading simpler books "helped develop their writing" and that books at appropriate level of reading were inappropriate for her content-wise.

Anyway - what I have learned from dealing with it is that beyond mentioning it a couple of times there is nothing you can do. Maybe, she is in a wrong group by mistake and they will change it. Or, they have some sort of reason and nothing you say would change it.

BUT - and, more importantly - it is great that she loves reading. Just continue giving her books that you think are appropriate. By Y1 - I never bothered with school books any more. She read them quickly on her own, I commented "dd1 read well" in her reading record and they was that. And than she'd read to me something more interesting - mostly on weekends.

[Ellle]

I would say wait to hear what the teacher says first and find out more detail on what is happening.

My son is also 6 and in Y2. He is in the top group for guided reading. I know that sometimes they choose books that are a bit below the level they usually read at home because it is easier to use a simple/shorter story for the specific purposes of the guided reading session (e.g. working on comprehension, inferring from the text, practising expression, reading according to punctuation, practising dictionary skills, etc).
As far as I can see, the guided reading is not about practising reading out loud per se, but to further develop other skills beyond the mechanics of reading. Also, as the guided reading must be a short session, I imagine it is easier to analyse a shorter story than a chapter book.

When DS1 chooses his books to read at home, he chooses chapter books like the ones you mentioned your daughter likes. So I think it is okay if the guided reading books are at a different level.

However, if your daughter thinks the guided reading is boring and is not engaging, it is worth mentioning to the teacher so that she is aware and takes this into account to find a way to engage her more.

I hope your feedback from the teacher clarifies things.

[PettsWoodParadise]

DD was in this position and it was tolerable until end of Y2 but then all the other bright kids left, off to selective independents. We didn't know this is the sort of thing that happened and then at start of Y3 the gulf between her and the next most able child in the class was too much for the teacher to cope. We had lots of extension work but that was all done at home. We had meetings with the Head but even they couldn't solve the problem. We ended up moving schools, renting out rooms and paying a small fortune. Not an easy choice but she's now passed the grammars and will start y7 in Sept and we will finally have some money to spend.