The Learning Spark

When my two oldest boys were in swimming lessons, I remember watching them, amused, as they'd literally walk back and forth between the width of the pool while making big swim strokes with their arms.  I'd see other kids in the class actually swimming...but my boys? They were walking.  They were going through the motions of swimming, without actually swimming. This is often what we see in classrooms today.  Students appear to be reading...some even become quite expert at keeping up the appearance.  Their arms are doing their strokes perfectly...but if you look under the water?  They're only walking.   Let me explain. I had a student one year who severely struggled in school.   By the end of her kindergarten year, she only knew a handful of letters.  I remember placing a book in front of her as I administered our state-mandated end-of-year kindergarten test.  She vaguely looked at the words on the page and then studied the p...

When N was diagnosed with depression last year, I was devastated!  He was only 7 years old...I felt like I had failed as a mother.  I mean, what sort of mom can't make her child happy?  Of course this is a totally unfair assumption, but those were the thoughts running through my mind at the time.  When the doctor had asked N if he was happy, he replied, "Not very much."  This broke. my. heart. Dyslexia and depression often go hand in hand and the reason is obvious.  Every day N is forced to be in an environment that constantly reminds him he is failing.  Dyslexia doesn't just affect his reading ability but every aspect of his learning and life.  Handwriting is tedious, spelling feels hopeless, learning facts near impossible, multi-step directions are overwhelming, he even struggles to recall certain words as he speaks.   Every day he goes to school knowing he will face countless hurdles that are simply too high. No matter how hard ...

Looking for flexible seating ideas?  Here are some of my favorites! 1. Wobble Chairs When I think of flexible seating, the first thing I think of is the wobble chair!  My students love these. I have six of these at our "technology" center and six more at my reading table.  I also have a few extras that certain students use at their tables.  I think the 14 inch size is perfect for kinders.  If you're debating on sizes, I'd suggest to error on the smaller side.  It's nice for students to be able to have their feet planted firmly on the ground.  Even my 11 year old sits on this size just fine (although, 16 inch would work well for him too).  I like to purchase these at Amazon  because of all the color options (9 to choose from).  -But you can also get them in 3 colors from Lakeshore Learning . 2.  The Couch I just recently got a couch for my classroom and I LOVE it!  It's called the  Flex-Space Comfy Couch  fr...

Something's Off      As mentioned in this post, I knew something was off with N from the time he was very little.  His speech was delayed and he didn't walk until he was 2 years old.  When N was 3, my neighbors and I organized a preschool co-op and I was surprised to see how much N struggled to learn new things (especially letter recognition).  What was going on?  N was exposed to lots of literature, education, museums, etc.  I had done everything I had done with my older two boys, and yet N was not progressing as his big brothers had.  I knew there was something wrong...this was more than just being a "late bloomer." Auditory Processing Disorder? One possibility I explored was auditory processing disorder or some other type of hearing disability.  N was very slow to react to auditory sounds...I often found myself quietly calling his name to see if he could hear me.  When he was 3, we took him to an audiologist where he ac...

It seems that today, more than ever, we are seeing more and more students with attention problems in our classrooms.  Here are some of my top tips for teaching students with ADHD-like symptoms. 1.  Seating Arrangement My students listen attentively to our "special visitor." Students have assigned places at the carpet and I carefully consider each spot.        Carefully consider the best place for these students to sit. I often like to have them sit right in the front row at the carpet.  There are usually fewer distractions for them to see from here and I can easily lean forward and gently tap them on the shoulder or knee when they need a little redirection. I have one little guy that shifts around and moves constantly...I placed him on the edge of one of my rows, which gives him a little more room to wiggle around.  I also assign places at our tables...I carefully think about who I want these kids to sit by.  Sitting them next to a ha...

Something Is Off      I knew early on that something was off with my son.  I will call him "N" on my blog to protect his privacy.  N's speech was delayed as a baby/toddler and he didn't walk until he was 2 years old.  In his preschool years I knew that he had some type of learning disability. (Watch for a future post on this topic.)  Learning the alphabet was so difficult for him and I remember being puzzled that it was taking him so long to learn new things.  Following multi-step directions was extremely difficult for him, as was cleaning his room, and getting ready for the day.  I always had to help him get dressed by telling him what to do one step at a time. ADHD? I never even considered that N had ADHD...he was a very calm child, not hyper-active at all.  He also had the ability to really hyper-focus on things that he was interested in.  He could build a train track for hours or sit and listen to books with no problem....