Primary teacher of ds (Yr 2) told him his SAT work was "Not good"

[lowlandlady]

DS did some SAT test work last week. Yesterday He told me he only got 15 points "out of a whole booklet".

His teacher has basically been making a lemon face to me about him most of the year. But he's been in the 2nd from top group and is perfectly bright verbally and his maths are ok. It's his reading and writing that is now slower than the rest of his group. He even said to me yesterday "I think I'm going to be moved down to Blue group!" but without much regret on his part!

I just feel the teacher sees him purely in terms of his literacy. Wheras I look at his communication skills (a huge part of what will get him a job as an adult!) and they are fantastic, easily better than most in the top group. But still she appears to find no way of praising him to boost his confidence.

I don't know whether to see this as normal slow literacy development as I'm told many boys experience or what?

Why can't teachers communicate more positively? All I get is a confused sinking feeling when I talk to her. What can I DO?? How bad is this??? Would you communicate something positive please???!!!

So last night I found myself being really grumpy with him and not very nice and actually I think at 7 he's doing fine! Is this just testing making a teacher feel inadequate? Should I just relax and encourage him and praise him and trust that a bright boy will obviously catch up!
Any thoughts will be gratefully received!

What a bitch.

SATs mean f-all, she is probably a bit defensive but really, who cares whether they can answer some stupid questions aged 7? This really makes me feel . As a teacher myself, it annoys me when teachers don't realise what is really important.

Is he a happy and lovely little boy? Does he enjoy learning? IMO that's what matters (and that's what I would be praising too )

Thanks so much Umlellala! I really appreciate your post. So I'm right to think she shouldn't have actually told him his work was not good??? I just get so confused! I think she wants him to try harder but her approach ain't working! He did best when he did ELS and the teacher gave him tons of praise and stickers and certificates!

He really is a happy boy and so sociable, he's a fantastic diver, really active Beaver scout, great swimmer, is brilliant at drama. I just feel she sees them purely through their SAT stats somehow! I think he does enjoy learning. This teacher is actually teaching them maths really well and you can see his progress. But with reading and writing he appears to be going backwards a little.

Do you think that a teacher with 30 kids can realistically see progress with a boy like mine who's hesitant with his reading and writing. Because if it's up to me I wish they'd tell me! I guess it's my responsibility!

She probably knows he could do better and is frustrated. ELS is great for confidence building and the children do well because of the attention that can be spent on small groups.

By now he should be self-starting and have his own ideas for writing without too much adult help. If he has been taken off the ELS programme presumably they feel he is capable of this. I'm sure the teacher wouldn't have said not good if she hadn't been sure he could have achieved better.

Agree us parents, as well as our children, need to hear positive things though.

Thanks ellingwoman, he can write but his spelling is poor, he learns his words every week but just doesn't retain them. So his lack of spelling is what she constantly sort of berates him for. He has most trouble with words beginning with 'w'.

They all get one shot at ELS and that's it, don't think they can afford more.

"I'm sure the teacher wouldn't have said not good if she hadn't been sure he could have achieved better." If that's so why doesn't she give me more ideas rather than feeding back so negatively to him and me? Sorry to ask you! I really appreciate your feedback.

I'd ask her opinion on why she thinks ds is underachieving in this area and how you can help. Put the ball in her court. Ask what specifically worries her. e.g. the 'w' words - is this a hearing problem of ds's and he can't hear her pronounce them? In class does he show any signs of dyslexia? Vision problems? Does he WANT to go down to Blue group because his friends are there? (have known this)

To me spelling is not the be all and end all. As long as he is spelling phonetically that should be enough for now.

He sounds great in all other respects and as a parent you should be proud of him. It sounds like the teacher justs wants him to up his game in Literacy but isn't going the right way about it.

Oh how I hate SATS and the whole results driven system (and tbh so do most teachers - prob even your son's one too! ).

My advice to you if you want to improve his literacy would be to enjoy visits to the library with him, let him choose books and enjoy reading - and see you choosing and reading books too. Share the writing you do, (ie write shopping lists together, write things on the calendar) and make it fun and part of normal life.

Drama can help with literacy too (I am a drama specialist so a bit biased )

But above all - he sounds lovely!

Many thanks to you both. You're moderated my gloom about this! I think all teacher disapproval triggers my own educational horrors of being bright but not achieving what I 'could' and mostly getting the lemon face from My teachers! In retrospect there were massive causes for this (m&d divorced, moved country, abusive step father figure, lots of emotional unrest!) so I'm easily irrationally triggered to feeling powerless about teachers views!

He is so verbal that it's hard to imagine that he'll have a lasting problem. I think you're right that the teacher is frustrated and feels he could do better. However I think he's unfortunately just picking up her frustration rather than the affirmation that might actually encourage him!

Thanks for the writing suggestions, I should do more but he is quite anti writing projects, I'll have to be more imaginative and think through my bribes more thoroughly.

Both dh and I are big readers and ds gets read to without fail every night and he most nights does some reading to us of a school book. He seems a good and improving reader to us but the teacher seens stuck in being struck by his not progressing as quickly as the rest of his group.

You're right, I'll speak to her, get a proper appointment to see her and ask her advice. I'm a big supporter of the school, parent gov etc, always helping out, so she doesn't see me as a moaner I don't think!

Many many thanks again, I really appreciate such knowledgeable input!

ps Sorry for going on:

ds has always really thrived when his teacher really likes him..... (no great surprise there!) He was a great favourite of his reception teacher who just thought he was wonderful and he did really well there. His diving, beaver leader and drama teacher just think he's fabulous and in these activities he goes from strength to strength. It's just his yr 1 and yr 2 teachers who have seen quite shoulder-shrugging about him. As a parent it just isn't acceptable to say: "Well he likes it when he's liked!!!"

But I have helped out enough in primary classes to be ON MY KNEES with respect for the patience, diligence, compassion, imagination, juggling skills, bureaucratic skills, organisational skills, physical stamina etc etc etc one would need to be a primary teacher for ONE DAY!!!! So I can hardly expect the world from his teacher!

DS~1 had a lemon-faced teacher in Y4. Couldn't say anything nice about him at all. She was actually annoyed that he did so well in his end of year tests Only teacher we've had a real problem with.

IKEWYM My DS has been put on remedial writing bribes and all at home as his writing is below standard and now i think that they have probably done the assessed part of it there's no follow up or teacher involvement. like your Ds he is very bright in all aspects, reading communication etc but hates writing and spelling with a vengeance and without the right motivation rather doesn't see why he should do it. If the SATs were worth ant ything at all it would take into account that your DS was doign just fine thank you and that his writing skills will catch up with the restwhen he is ready. if they found a way of motivating 7 yo boys instead of forcing them to leanr in a female centric environment all would be much better with the world IM not so HO

Rant over