Dear teacher,
My son who is in kindergarten writes certain letters and numbers backward a lot of the time. He especially confuses the letters “b” and “d.” He also will write the numbers 2 and 5 backward. How can we help him write correctly?
Dear parent,
Relax. It is generally considered normal for children under the age of 7 to reverse “b” and “d,” along with some numbers. Time and instruction usually stop these reversals. If not, there is the possibility of the existence of more serious problems.
You can accelerate the correct writing of letters and numbers in several ways. One way is to over teach a letter or number that is frequently reversed before going on to another letter or number.
You can start by making a huge “b” with masking tape on the floor. Your son should walk along the letter while saying its name. The next step can be his tracing the letter on a piece of paper with a finger then a pencil while saying it. Then the child can copy the letter while saying how it is formed. Each step should be repeated many times over several days.
The confusion between “b” and “d” can be improved by having your son put his fists together and sticking up his thumbs to show how the letters face. Then the backs of his wrists or palms can be labeled appropriately with these letters for additional help to be used when he is writing.
Ways to overcome a child’s shyness
Dear teacher,
My daughter is in middle school and is beginning to hate school. She is an academic superstar; however, her shyness is stopping her from feeling comfortable at school. She feels uncomfortable answering questions in class or participating in discussions. She also is reluctant to talk to more than a few students. What can be done?
Dear parent,
Most people have some degree of shyness. According to Philip Zimbardo, professor emeritus of psychology at Stanford University, shyness is a mental attitude that predisposes people to be extremely concerned about the social evaluation of them by others. It involves keeping a very low profile by holding back from initiating actions that might call attention to oneself.
We recommend that you read Professor Zimbardo’s book “The Shy Child: Overcoming and Preventing Shyness From Infancy to Adulthood.” It has some of the best suggestions that we have seen for helping combat shyness in children. These include:
• Do not label your child as shy. Never say: “Don’t be shy.”
• Encourage talking at home.
• Seek cooperation from teachers in reducing shyness in the classroom.
• Teach your child how to compliment their teachers and peers.
• Teach and display listening skills.
• Compliment the shy child and other family members whenever possible.
• Find a younger playmate for your child to help the child practice social skills and to be more assertive.
Frequently, gifted children like your daughter suffer from shyness, as they perceive themselves as different from others. Enrolling her in a gifted program this summer could be helpful. Learning new physical skills also could contribute to building her self-esteem.
Eliminating recess not a wise punishment
Dear teacher,
My third-grade son does not always get all his work done on time in the classroom. At times, he is apparently restless and does not behave as well as he should. Because of this, at least once or twice a week he is denied recess for these behaviors. Is this a wise punishment?
Dear parent,
Little boys are notorious for being restless. Cooping them up in the classroom as a punishment just isn’t smart. Recess lets all children, especially boys, burn off their energy. In fact, creative teachers find ways to increase children’s activity levels in the classroom. It is not surprising that research shows that children act out less frequently when they are more active and have recess.
Not getting his work done is another issue. Instead of punishing your child, the teacher should be searching for the underlying cause and developing strategies to address it. Recess even contributes positively to academic performance.
Talk to your son’s teacher about how punishing him by taking away recess has not been successful. Suggest that more activity such as running errands or getting out supplies might make him less restless, along with having recess every day. Also, be sure to find out what is stopping your child from getting his work done on time.
Finally, if this teacher is adamant about denying recess to children, find out what the school’s policy is on recess. If there is no policy, the parent-teacher organization should work on implementing one. Having recess also contributes to helping children develop and sharpen their social skills. Recess has been called the pause that refreshes.
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Distributed by King Features Syndicate
