The Struggling Reader

If your child is doing great in school, at the top of the class and wakes up every morning ready to jump out of bed and see what they can learn next... please skip this posting. This is NOT for you. And even though I am thrilled for YOU and your family - everyone in my family does not fit into that category. Some do - some don't. But this posting is for the parent whose child says they do not like school and they complain when they have to read a book. If they complain that reading is hard and struggle to sound out words - keep reading. We are in this together!

Here is the lie that we hear as moms... if you want to create a child that loves reading, all you have to do is read to them. Let them see you reading regularly. Make a big deal out of the library. Surround them with books. Did you know that the statistical book (and fascinating read) Freakonomics states that the child that grows up around a lot of books in the home, will do better than the child that goes to the library and checks out books.

So, as a true lover of books, I remember reading to my kids when all they could do was gnaw on the pages. We went to story time weekly. The children's librarians know us by name. Besides the books we have at home, each child has their own library card. Our library does reading programs throughout the year - and we are always signed up. We have read more then 30 Magic Treehouse Book. For a while, we were going through a Magic Treehouse Book every 2 nights. I check out anything with a topic like: how to create a reader, best books for boys or teaching your child to fall in love with books. We do worksheets. We do websites like Starfall - a great site that emphasizes reading and phonics.

However, the "Book Magic" is not working. One of my kids struggles with every single word. We work and work and it is very frustrating when you know that even with the extra time and work, your child is still not getting it. When they get to a small word that they have just read 3 times before and they are stumped, you just want to bonk them on the head (however tempting, this is not a recommended technique).

So, while checking out at the library, I glanced over and saw the book, Parenting A Struggling Reader, and added it to my stack. This book took a very proactive approach and discussed diagnosing reading issues in depth. I actually cried when I got to the line, "One approach to teaching reading is based on a belief that children learn to read by surrounding them with good literature and emphasizing the meaning and purpose of reading. One of the fundamental principles of this approach is that children learn to read as naturally as they learn to talk." Even though that has not been my whole thought process, I did believe that if I did the things I was suppose to do as a "Mommy" that my kid would embrace reading and take to it like a duck to water.

The parent of a struggling reader faces a range of emotions. You pray that something will click. You just KNOW the teachers secretly think you are a lazy parent that sat your kid in front of the TV all day with a Coca Cola filled bottle and a candy bar.

So, as we start down this long road of improving reading skills, I thought I would share resources and thoughts for other people that are going through the same thing.

Here is to our future success!