February 28, 2006

  • This afternoon while at school signing some LPAC forms, Dmitry's ESL teacher (who teaches English as well; I mean, she's not just ESL) told me she was utterly flabbergasted today when he finally consented to read out loud in class.

    He did brilliantly.  No hesitation, very little stumbling, proper enunciation, emphasis on the correct syllable...she swears he read better than most of the native-born students.  

    It heightens the dichotomy between Dmitry's verbal ability and his writing ability, which is dismal.   He can read like nobody's business; he can speak fluently; but when it comes to getting those sentences down on a sheet of paper or as pixels on a monitor?

    Forgetaboutit. 

    When researching FAE, though, that was listed as one of them....a strong verbal ability combined with a seriously deficient ability in writing.

    Oh, and she's finally acknowledged his difficulty in retaining knowledge, especially in math.  I suppose having spent months trying to teach him the same thing and having him grasp it, only to lose it again, has convinced her.  He is slowly improving, though.

    And when his class took benchmark tests last week?  He received the third highest grade on the science test!  e-ghost

Comments (7)

  • How old is Dmitry again?  I've been doing some reading on teaching math (how and when, and that sort of thing) and am finding out that our expectations for math nowadays are a serious aberration, compared to the past (before the 1920s or so).  In earlier generations, math wasn't taught as a formal subject until the student was at least ten years old, and sometimes later, because the part of the brain needed to do more than basic functions just isn't developed until then.  And the same goes for writing - that part of the brain that is used to get your thoughts into writing just doesn't funtion well before age twelve.

    I know Dima's older than that - I seem to remember he's about a year younger than Stephen - but still, every kid develops at a different rate than all the others, and some folks will just never be good writers or mathmaticians. 

    I was the sorriest person at math you could ever meet, and when I took college algebra at 20 years old, I was afraid I'd totally bomb it.  In high school I was happy just to get a D.  But about three weeks into class it just clicked, and I actually got a B.  I honestly think my brain just wasn't ready to handle that kind of math before that point.

  • Tell Dima "hurray!"  I think that reading outloud well, is a vital skill.  How else is he going to entertain his grandkids?
    Hang in there Mom!

  • Dmitry's fifteen, but between the lack of proper food when small, then the years in the orphanage, he's definitely developmentally delayed. That's very interesting, about math and writing not being taught until later in an earlier era!

    I was also an, um, indifferent mathematician while in high school, but when I took differential calculus (aka: business math) in my early 30's while working briefly on an accounting degree, I made good grades.

    Truly, ISTM math is often a skill not acquired until much later in life.

  • I took how to teach math in the elementary grades and did well on it, when I was in my 40's. So I thought maybe I can understand algebra, got a small book from the library and gave up on page 3. I can figure upside down tho which frustrates my husband who keeps score in our gin games and I correct him . So, I don't need algebra anyway. Never could figure out what it's for anyway.

    And Dimi is a jewel, I'm proud he joined my family, no matter what he ends up doing for a living. He'll make a great dad and husband also and that's what's important.

  • What a lovely thing for a Granny to say, Mrs G! Dmitry's definitely blessed to be so lovingly welcomed.

    And congrats to him for reading so well! I have always believed that if one can read, one can learn to do anything, even if it's not on the world's schedule. Reading is the single most important academic skill, in my book. THREE CHEERS, Dmitry, and a BIG SLOPPY KISS from Aunt Cin.

    me<><

  • Um, Dmitry doesn't do the Big Sloppy Kiss thang, Aunt Cin. Occasionally he'll generously permit a kiss to be planted on his cheek, though. ;^p

  • I didn't think he would, Anne.

    One thing I know in this world is teen-aged boys. :)

    me<><

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