Slice of Life 2023: 4 of 31- Meeting a Student

 

It's March, and March is for slicing.  Anyone is welcome to join us through Two Writing Teachers, slicing, sharing, and commenting on other slices! 

  

ATTENTION VISITORS: 

If you leave a comment, please include your name in it! So often all I see is "anonymous", and I REALLY want to know who is commenting! Thank you!

A while ago, a fifth-grade teacher had contacted me. Could we arrange a meeting about R. and how to support him with his writing?

That meeting happened on Thursday, and I sat and listened to his teacher, the reading specialist, and the reading support teacher tell me about R. and all he can't do. 

Letter formation: an issue

Verbal processing: an issue for both receptive and expressive language

Memory: an issue

Sentence structure: an issue

When I asked, they were able to describe some things he can do, but resisted my suggestions. 

"What are you looking for from this meeting?" I asked, trying to hide my increasing frustration (possibly annoyance, and perhaps more.) "How can I help?"

The response made it clear that the hope was I would take over servicing this child. I don't do that. As much as I'd love to have a writing intervention program, we don't. 

"I'll come meet him and we'll start with that," I said. 

Yesterday, I returned and met R. We started a conversation in his classroom. At first he was pretty quiet. He answered my questions politely, but with the fewest words possible and without really looking at me. I asked about what he liked. What he found easy. What he was curious about. When I complimented his sweatshirt, he told me about how he'd gotten it as a present. And then he told me more about why he liked history and the other time periods he'd like to learn about. He picked up his pencil to write something for me, and I noticed he was using his left-handed. 

"You're lefty/" I said. 

"I write with both hands," he said. "I go back and forth."

Whoa. I'm sure he felt my admiration. 

When the room became quiet, I asked if he'd like to go elsewhere. We went into the reading specialist's office, and he told me more about his ambidextrousness. When he couldn't remember which side he'd used, he acted it out for me. 

Show me how you stand at bat: RIGHT

Throw a football: RIGHT

Stir pancake batter: LEFT

Write a sentence: LEFT, MAYBE RIGHT

Swing a golf club: RIGHT, MAYBE LEFT

He told me about what's easy and hard for him in school, especially with writing, and he was honest, reflective, and insightful. He wrote a few sentences for me, trying out different pens. The Flair pen was his favorite because he "didn't have to press as hard." (I gave it to him.) When I asked him how math facts were... no problem. Spelling? no problem. Remembering what he's read? no problem. Then he shared a party trick from when he was three years old. He could say the alphabet backwards super fast. He told me (in sentences) how he learned it and shared it with his family. He's a football player-- a wide receiver-- and I told him that made sense since he looks like he'd be fast. He has no problem learning and remembering all the plays since they practice them and then physically do them. We talked for a while about Patrick Mahomes. He'd written his on-demand information piece about him, and I told him it was well done-- I'd read it. (It was.)

"That piece was easier to write because I already knew so much about him," R. said. 

When I got home last night, I researched a bit about ambidextrousness. I'll continue more over the weekend, and anyone is welcome to share knowledge. 

You can bet I'll find time to work with R. 

Happy Slicing,