Seem to have swapped one problem for another :(

[CrackerNut]

Ds is 6 and in yr1. Since reception he has had big problems with reading and writing. At his last parents meeting in Sept, i expressed my concerns about his reading and his teacher agreed with me and it was decided he'd get extra reading help.

Whilst he has always struggled in this area, I have always thought that his maths was just fine. He has a maths homework sheet every week and is always 100% more enthusiastic about them than his reading or writing and rarely struggles with them.

So, it was parents evening again tonight and I was feeling really positive about it only for his teacher to say that ds now seems to be struggling with maths and is behind. I told her that it isn't a problem when he does it at home and she said that it is in class.

She agreed that his reading has improved alot, but that he is still having a few problems with his writing because he cannot get to grips with using finger spaces between words.

So we seem to have swapped his reading problem for a Maths problem .
Oh and he apparently still canot be quiet at carpet time (thats been going on since he started schol), and also lost 15 min golden time this week because he keeps messing about in the toilets.

Anyone else have a ds with similar problems ? Any suggestions ?

sounds like my son though he's now in year 3.

he's getting maths now, though it took him some time. i don't see why he was pushed so much if he wasn't ready at the time.

and wouldn't worry about keeping still, how many 6 year old boys can?

Thanks SEA

Not feeling so miserable about it today. I know that alot of it is just how ds is. He has to be very very interested in something before he will give it his all and not look like he is struggling.

As for the sitting still and being quiet, i think they might have to wait a few years for that yet as ds just loves to talk lol.

I was pleased though that his teacher did say that they realise that alot of what ds does or doesn't do is just how he is, and so it seems like the teacher does get how ds works which is a relief.

I think DSs find it quite hard to sit still and remember so much stuff (massive generalisation I know). DS in Year 1 and all the boys struggle with remembering everything - finger spaces, forming letters correctly, writing between the lines, reading from l - r, its a lot of stuff to remember for a boy who wants to be running around. I reckon my DS sits in class thinking about how the curve of his 'a' could be turned into a lasso to catch a dinosaur.

I agree Cracker about them having to be very very very interested in sthg before they give it their all. I started giving DS pocket money and then taking him to the sweetshop (tut, tut, yeah, yeah) and that has started him working better on his adding up. He now says on a tuesday 'If I get a pound on Saturday, I can get a lolly, a shoelace and a dibdab or whatever' - which is a real improvement.

The pound is more or less depending on how he behaves in the week. All my friends PTSL at this performance related pay, but it works for us....

But the DSs are lovely and funny and kooky and all those great things.

He sounds just like Ds

Ds actually cries when the bell goes to go into school, not because he hates it but because he would rather stay outside and play. As far as he is concerned school is for socialising.

I am just a bit confused as to how he is behind with maths because as I said, he gets a maths homework sheet every week and sails through it, hence me thinking he was fine with maths.

This whole school thing is so much more complicated with a boy lol. I never had any of this with my dd's.

It's possible that your ds is getting different homework to the rest of the class aimed at his level.

This is done in our school, homework given for different levels - but the parents are told this first.

Your ds sounds lovely btw

I don't think he sounds out of sorts for his age - lots of boys aren't that interested in formal learning in Year 1 but it just clicks suddenly. Perhaps he is more distactible at school. Maybe he needs a bit of small group work (I doubt he's alone) to kickstart the basics and give him a better sense of what is expected. Does the homework reflect what they have been doing in class and the same as for others or is it deliberately chsoen as within his ability ?

Thanks Goblin

Oh i'm not sure about the homework. He has been getting sheets that require him to either add up small amounts or colour in the right coins to equal the correct amount and stuff like that.

I did ask him if the maths work in class is harder than the sheets he is getting at home, and he said yes but couldn't tell me what type of stuff it was.

He is very very distractable, and it is very hard to get his attention and keep it for any longer than about 5 seconds unless of course you are disacussing Dr Who, Star Wars or similar with him, then he'd talk about it all day.

During the 10 min parents evening myself and his teacher both had to keep asking him to listen to what we were saying as he just drifts off. Generally, if he isn't looking at you whilst you are talking then he definatly isn't listening.

Is it possible to ask to go in and look through his Maths work so you can see what sort of thing he is doing and what he is struggling with ?