<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><DIV>As the director of a Learning Center I see what Shannie described happening to children she knows. Students are on an educational conveyor belt which keeps on moving no matter what. Most children could be brilliant, but not when their attention is so often put on what they cannot yet do. I have seen so much mutilation of intelligence and educational abuse. It is a miracle that any child enjoys books past age eight. When I ask junior high teachers about their students and books, the simply say "the kids hate reading". I am a phonics advocate, but I am also an advocate of the "Hook On Books" philosophy. This is a fantastic book about getting young people to want to read. Check it out.</DIV>
<DIV>Sharon Hillestad</DIV>
<DIV>State Director of the National Right To Read Foundation www.nrrf.org<BR><BR>--- On <B>Tue, 11/18/08, Shoshanah Dean Hilmer <I><wcjshannie@hotmail.com></I></B> wrote:<BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid">From: Shoshanah Dean Hilmer <wcjshannie@hotmail.com><BR>Subject: [LearningDisabilities 2562] Re: Thinking about the NIFL<BR>To: learningdisabilities@nifl.gov<BR>Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 9:41 AM<BR><BR>
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Through research it appears that things start slipping for many children at the 3rd or 4th grade level. If a child doesn't have a solid foundation, schoolwork becomes overwhelming. Children also have to deal with a lot of external stresses such teasing from classmates and turmoil within the family. Unless we address the social and emotional issues, I am not sure we will see much improvement. I run a women's literacy department and we have a babysitting program. I often see the transformation right before my eyes. A child comes in, struggling with her schoolwork, but is proud to demonstrate the skills she has learned. Then, at about 8 or 9 years old, she starts to become discouraged as children tease her and she discovers that, no matter how hard she tries, she is not getting good grades. She wonders why she should even try when all she does is fail. She has after school tutoring,
but it's not enough. As "icing on the cake" she now needs to process her older brother getting shot for the second time, mom getting beat up by her latest boyfriend, and moving from one apartment to another. The details are different, but the story is the same. Some children are not getting the help they need at this stage. <BR> <BR>There are good early intervention programs like Head Start. I'd like to see NIFL pick up where good early intervention programs leave off. What's the solution? I'm not exactly sure. I don't like the whole remedial classroom idea. However, I know that individualize attention and quality programs like Wilson are vital. I know that no child should ever be given a high school diploma and "passed through" when they can't read. <BR> <BR>I would also like to see that NIFL doesn't lose their focus on adult literacy. There aren't many organizations
to advocate for adults. At the moment, there seems to be no quick solution. Therefore, we must still address the needs of the adults who don't receive what they need early on and now have to try to make a living.<BR> <BR>Shannie<BR><BR><BR>
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