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[quote=Anonymous][quote]
What you do with the kids who don't meet minimum standards is get them the help to get caught up, or identify a learning disability if one exists and find a way to help them as best as possible, same as always. Nobody ever said to just "push" and pretend that kid doesn't have a problem.

Of course you do this. However, there are many reasons that kids can be behind besides learning disabilities. First, did you now that some young kids who are behind do not qualify for LD services because they are just borderline "slow"? They do not qualify until they are in a higher grade and further "behind".

And, what about the third grade teacher with a child on first grade level? The child is on that level for lots of reasons that may not be a learning disability. Could be home issues, behavior issues, truancy issues, health issues, language issues. And, that child can make progress and improve--but two years of progress in one year? With some, but certainly not all. And, it is not a factor of poor K and 1 teachers. That may be a factor, but it is rare.

Do you know that some kids start K without knowing the alphabet? First, you have to teach them to distinguish and understand the "same and different". When they have not ever worked with letters, it may be hard for them to distinguish between an "M" and an "N". That comes first. Teaching the sounds that go with those letters is key--but first they have to be able to distinguish them. Teaching sounds is another challenge. Some of these kids have never listened to rhyming words and that is a first step. Yet, CC expects all those kids to read by the end of the year. And, consider, these kids come from homes that may not be as supportive as we would all like.

Teaching is a building process- it is based on building on fundamentals. Fundamentals which need to be constantly reinforced. It is not a matter of "today we teach the sounds of 'M'...tomorrow we move on to 'n'......it doesn't work that way.

How many years have you taught in the schools? [/quote]

I taught ESOL for 13 years.  When I was in my 11th year the school hired a woman who had just retired from federal service (she was 55 with 30 years in with the feds).  Anyway, they had her with the beginning students.  She said to me "I know how to do this.  First I teach them the alphabet and then in week two I'm bringing in my daughter's old doll house to teach rooms in the house.  In fact, I have the whole semester planned out for each day."  
I was thinking, "geez, I hope you left room on your planning sheets to change all that!"  But there are some people you can't tell anything (especially when they are older and "wiser" than you are and have raised two kids).

Anyway, long story short.  She was totally frustrated by week two.  She thought the students were all idiots.  She started to make fun of them.  She, at least and to her credit, started to come into my room and watch what I was doing (which is the hard slog that she had no idea that she would have to do).  She ended up asking to teach in another subject area.  Yeah, people think they know, but until they really do it and think about it, they don't know.

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