A Parent's Plea: Help Me Understand Why My Child's School is Failing Her.

Parent Communication [Paraphrased]:

Good morning. I didn't listen much to my daughter's Zoom session last night, but from what I heard, she was very engaged!

Do you have any insight into where the struggle is with her schoolwork, etc.? Is it the comprehension part? She really seems to be grasping it, so I'm confused about what's going on in school.

Teacher Response:

Good morning:

I hope my following notes answer your notice and wonder questions. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Thank you.

Authentic Text: Critical thinking is significantly more engaged when working with complex, genuine material, which may explain the disconnect between your daughter's reading fluency, literal and inferential comprehension, and school performance.

Authentic Reading: Diverse and engaging reading materials, such as "student-selected books," help develop critical thinking skills more naturally and enjoyably. Studying an author's craft is a gateway to noticing and wondering ideas, visual thinking skills, and open-ended questions about the themes, characters, or the author's message.

Critical Thinking Skills: Simply understanding the literal meaning isn't enough and requires practice in higher-order thinking skills. Authentic tasks and discussions are more beneficial than less so through rote memorization or simple comprehension questions on worksheets.

For example, when we were in Zoom, your daughter and I worked with a familiar text, Dr. Seuss's "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think." She noticed and wondered as a gateway to explore the imaginative possibilities presented in the text.

Encouraging her to generate ideas and reflect on her connection to the themes of creativity and thinking outside the box enhanced text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world, and even text-to-theatrical cognitive work.

Pedagogy and Assessment: Teacher training and methods used to teach and assess critical thinking matter greatly. Her strong comprehension of core concepts might not translate to assessment success if the pedagogy emphasizes rote learning or superficial understanding.

In the context of "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think," she was encouraged to think critically about the narrative and share her interpretations of the unique thoughts and visual representations presented, leading to a literacy-rich discussion and an access point for me to teach to higher, more complex engagement and literacy development.

Time is of the Essence: Engaging a skilled professional to work with your child in a nurturing and supportive setting can significantly boost their development and success. Numerous parents have appreciated the positive influence of this method during periods of anxiety and stress associated with school. Unlike traditional education's hurried and overwhelming atmosphere, a calm, student-focused, learner-centered environment allows children and parents to feel comfortable, easing the pressures of the school day. As parents are their child's initial educators, it underscores the importance of seeking extra support to address specific literacy development, prioritizing your child's cognitive growth and learning.