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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Too shy for reading assessment!

7 replies

coccyx · 19/09/2011 20:14

My DD just started year 1. teacher spoke to me today as they tried for third time to assess her with 50 frequency? words. she would not speak to them!
I said maybe continue on reading level she was on at end reception until she settles in more. Teacher said i need to tell her to stop being shy, she was a bit harsh actually!
Teacher said she will fall behind unless DD changes, seems a bit dramatic. They must see how she manages in other areas of class work.
She does enjoy school ,not sure how i can change her basic character

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girliefriend · 19/09/2011 20:21

That does sound harsh and for what it is worth I have a dd who has just gone into yr 1 as well who is exactly the same!

I had a letter home last year as they thought she couldn't recognise any numbers She could but just didn't want to do it for her teacher . She is exactly the same with reading, I think its a confidence thing and I am not really worried as I think she will be fine.

An0therName · 19/09/2011 20:23

has this come up before? will she speak to the teacher normally? or do was it just because she felt she was being "tested" - have you discussed it with your DD? Can you explain its so the teacher can help her learn?

to be that shy could cause problems in general I would have thought - and I would imagine there are things you could do to support her

MangoMonster · 19/09/2011 20:28

I was really really shy at primary school and not confident in reading. Have always hated being assessed. Try to get to the bottom of why she feels shy about it and reassure her that nothing bad will happen whatever, you can't change her but you might be able to help her cope. Feel for her, still remember the fear it put in me. If it helps, I learnt to deal with all that stuff and it hasn't been detrimental to me in later life. Just the way some people are but she needs to try and overcome it with your help. Maybe do a practice test with her and praise her so she knows what to expect. She probably doesn't want to look stupid.

Original poster

coccyx · 19/09/2011 20:29

She has always been shy with unfamiliar adults.
I have been given the word list , and have told her how great it would be if she could read them to her teacher like she does for me.
I may speak to her teacher to see if we can come up with a plan!

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Hulababy · 19/09/2011 20:38

Teacher is being too harsh and by pushing her may make things far harder in the long run.

not being able to assess at this point isn't really that much of a problem imo. If she is reading to you and practising the words at home then you can let them know how she is getting on.

In the mean time the teacher and your DD need to do some very gentle getting to know you sessions, or maybe with the TA if there is one as they will have more time to spend on it. Forget about the word lists and assessments, just some nice simple exercises.

I work ina Y1 class as a TA and last year had a little boy with selective mutism. He had never spoken at school at all in reception and came to us not speaking. He did speak at home with his immediate family. He;d also not spoken in nursery.

I spent a lot of 1:1 time with him in those early days and weeks. In the first few sessions his mum cam ein too. Initially it was just him and mum in the work room and I would occasionally bob in and out pretending to do something like grab a book etc. But slowly remaining a bit longer. He started to be ok with me in the room whilst he spoke to his mum very quietly. I thnen began to sit and listen, and direct questions via mum. And evetually to him. He started by whispering into my ear, then whispering near me and by Christmas he would talk to me. We did his first reading assessment in a tiny whisper :) One thing that really worked with him was a Talking Tom programme on my iPhone - a little cat that repeated everythign he said. he loved it and started to use that to talk to me at one stage :) His confidence grew massively with this very gentle approach and he finished the year talking in class to the teacher and the other children, and even visitors to the class and apparently has been talking throughout his start in year 2. He's till very quoet and would never do an assembly - instead we used to video record him in advance and play that - but he is now a vocal memeber of the class.

So ime slowly slowly....

An0therName · 19/09/2011 21:38

Hulababy -wow - that sounds like quite an achievment

Hulababy · 19/09/2011 21:42

Yesm we feel quite pleased with the progress he made and I know his mum has been over the moon. The first time she watched him take part in the class assembly - albeit just stood there but with his video playing on screen - she cried. He was a real star and made such amazing progress last year.

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