I get a lot of traction with the kids I work with. I have worked with all ages and have settled into working with older students. Older students aren’t looking for stickers. They aren’t looking for reward charts. The don’t care about reading logs. Basically, they can’t be coerced into learning.
They often come to me after more than a decade struggling to read. The last thing they want me to tell them is that reading is fun. The last thing they want me to tell them is it takes practice. The last thing they want me to tell them is how important it is to master foundational reading skills.
Trust me they know. These students are herded into reading intervention classes. Added to small group support. Offered other services and all to no avail.
It’s not effort. It’s not motivation. It’s not reading more.
So what is it then?
It’s working on strengths not only focusing on weaknesses. It’s approaching reading from new angles. It is building interest and capacity by reading outrageous texts. It is going to great lengths to find technology. It is going to great lengths to find reading strategies that work for them. Older students want independence and to be treated as an individuals.
It’s never giving up on them when they have given up on themselves. It’s never giving up on them when they have given up on an entire subject like Chemistry.
I get a lot of traction with the older kids I work with because I listen. I listen to hours worth of complaining. I listen tp their likes and dislikes. I give them as many choices as humanly possible.
Above all, I recognize their potential and respect the process they need to go through to grapple with reading difficulties.