| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/4/2008 12:06:08 PM | The ex and I are looking at putting my son into Sylvan to help him with his reading/writing, as we feel it is unfortuanetly at a reduced level. He is just leaving kindergarten and we want to make sure he enjoys school, and isn't frustrated by it.
Has anyone else had any experience with Sylvan, and what sort of techniques have you tried on your own to bolster your childs desire to learn?
Thanks :) | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/4/2008 12:14:58 PM | Your boy is only just now leaving kindergarten, Why dont you wait and see what
happens in the first grade... There are a lot of good work books you can purchase
and practice with him for now..
About 2 years ago. I did take my child to Sylvan, but I was not happy with it,
after the initial testing of my child. we had over heard them talking about us and
did not appreciate it one bit. Never took her back after that.. Felt they were just
to lax in their manners. | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/4/2008 12:35:01 PM | Well I suppose one of the reasons I don't want to wait is because I don't want him to hate school, and a huge reason for that in my opinion is due to a frustrating learning experience.
Sorry to hear about your experience though. Pretty certain that would be an isolated case though.
Well I'm thinking of picking up some fun little educational boardgames to play with him to work on his word recognition, so hopefully that helps. | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/4/2008 2:14:25 PM | I think you should wait to put him in any special classes. I know some kids who were going into grade one and still couldn't print thier own names or count to 100. After grade one and two, they were doing very well and quite comparable to the other kids thier age. They just needed time.
Well I'm thinking of picking up some fun little educational boardgames to play with him to work on his word recognition, so hopefully that helps.
I think that's the best idea for now, have him learn in a fun way and at his own pace for the summer and see where that takes him. Let him go into grade one knowing what he knows and see where he is half way throught the year.
My daughter was a slow reader in the early grades, she hated to read so much. Then in grade three, her class ended up reading a book that she found very fun and interesting, since then she's been a reading machine. I say you should give your son a bit more time to figure out if he really needs this extra tutering, but in the end, it's your call and although he may not need tutering, a little extra help has never hurt anyone.
Good luck. | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/4/2008 10:53:57 PM | We put our son in Sylvan in first grade. I can't tell you how glad we are that we did. His teacher was upset with us, but because of Sylvan he learned so much more. I've heard different experiences with Sylvan and I think it depends on the teachers that are there. Not only check out the directors but meet the teachers themselves. It won't do your child any good if you have a teacher who is used to dealing with older kids. Trust me!
We used so many different things to get him started. I used games, phonics, phonemics, computer programs, tv programs. You name it, we tried it. Glad we did!
Best of luck to you! | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/5/2008 4:07:19 AM | You know your child so go with your heart. I have only had one dealing with Sylvan and that was through a child that was in my 5th grade class a few years ago. He didn't get much help but he was also a 5th grader with a Learning problem in reading and it was the middle of the 5th grade year that he started.
I agree with the post about making reading fun. It is sometimes the key when the child finds the right kind of books for them. I have seen kids come alive as a reader when they found the genre that interested them.
Just a thought there is a site Reading Rockets I think is the name. Great stuff | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/5/2008 8:16:55 AM | | I heard from a teacher that Sylvan is a bad idea. A private tutor would be a better option; one that will follow his school's curriculum instead of Sylvan's own curriculum. Can you find a local high school or middle school kid? | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/5/2008 8:26:27 AM | you can do the same thing sylvan does with a private tutor, and spend a fraction of the amount of money.
They base their teaching on the bribery method. You can do the same at home. Get little gifts for each of your child's great steps to learning more.
I was going to do the same for my daughter, went through the interview, and got the 'estimate' of what it would cost.. and choked. If you can afford it.. then by all means, but ... talking with student teachers, or getting a hold of your local college and enlisting a student who is going to teachers college, who needs volunteer tutoring hours for their courses...
Is a much more personalized, and simplified way of dealing with it. You also get to help out a student, to get ahead. So you're doing two great things in one. :-)
jmo. | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/5/2008 7:00:59 PM | | My Sister actually went to Sylvan and it really helped she was in grade 4 and was 2 grade levels behind and in 1 summer they got her up to speed.........However because she did not continue with Sylvan she fell just as behind all over again and because of how expensive it is my parents could not afford to send her again. So the only thing I would be prepared for is a long term commitment. | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/5/2008 8:38:55 PM | | My daughter is going into 2nd grade in the fall. I am lucky to have a friend who owns another tutoring chain outlet called The Tutoring Club. Its important to get him up to speed asap if you see him struggling. As for Sulvan, I hear they are overpriced and not all that great, I would definately search your options before picking this place. Sometimes school teachers tutor on the side also. Good luck to you in your findings and bravo for helping the little guy before he gets too far behind. | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/6/2008 12:27:33 AM | | if it is only his reading he is behind in I wouldn't bother with tutoring just yet. My own son couldn't read more than three words when he entered first grade. He just had no interest in the Alphabet at all .. he was so consumed with numbers and adding and subtracting. About two months into first grade he "suddenly" discovered letters and words. I read to my kids every night and have since they were born .. and like you I was a little concerned that he wasn't reading by the end of kindergarden also. Now he is entering 4th grade and is reading at a 7th grade level. Trying to "force" interest in a child that young in one area in my opinion just doesn't work. If you find your son is like mine .. just consumed in another area of learning at the moment why not wait it out for a couple months into first grade and see if he doesn't just "catch the reading bug" on his own? BTW is he by chance a December baby? born late in the year and younger than most his classmates? At first grade there is a huge difference between December babies and their classmates that can be 9 - 11 months older than they are. If this is the case .. not to worry by 3rd grade most "younger" children of the class have caught up in most areas. | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/6/2008 11:38:01 AM | I agree, you should wait. If you're trying to get him not to hate school, you might do that with having him get tutored, don't you think that's pressure for him to do better? Every child learn at his/her own pace. You might also consider if he likes to read or not. My nephew who is 8 at that age didn't care much about school just wants to play. And you really can't base things on kindergarten level, since it's pretty basic, first grade should help boost up his reading. I think when my nephew was in first grade, half way through, his reading improved.
Try the leapster or leappad books, that way he can read and point the pen at the same time and helps him to pronounce the word. Take him to the library and have him choose books of his interest and maybe that will get him excited to read. | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/6/2008 12:02:12 PM | I am a credentialed Elementary teacher and would never recommend such a place as Sylvan. I second those that say if you are going to do anything, look into a private tutor, but just coming out of kindergarten, I would say it is not neccesary.
Children leave kindergarten at so many varying levels of ability. First grade is really when it all comes together. Give him some time, and I imagine he is going to bloom! As well, if the schools were concerned about his academic progress, they would have reccomended summer school, which is free! Trust the guidance of his teachers, not that of those that pay a lot of money for advertisting! | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/7/2008 7:27:23 AM | Thanks for all of the input everyone. So after having discussions with my sons mom, we have decided that we will give it a shot over the summer. When he was there for his assessment he said he really enjoyed it. He is really of the personality type that enjoys attention, so I'm sure this will help.
Thanks again for everyones input!
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/7/2008 9:42:52 AM | My parents were both school teachers for over thirty years, my mother a very academically oriented kindergarten teacher versus what she called sandbox kindergartens where the children learned very little and pretty much wasted a year of school.
I have also experienced my own children's educational progress and they are all very different. It is probably more from the parent than a student of education that I speak to caution you to remember that we walk a fine line between being supportive and helping our children to achieve and placing so much emphasis on how a child fares relative to peers and pressuring them to learn in a way that is not positive.
My daughter has ADD and because of the reticence to diagnose too early when the learning issue could have been maturity or dyslexia or something else, she was not "identified" formally until the end of 2nd grade at which time she couldn't read a lick. She was appropriately medicated about a month before the end of school that year, spent a week with my mother after school let out, and was reading beautifully. She now goes into her junior year doing well in AP and honors classes.
With my boys, both have the ability to be straight A students without expending too much effort and both are the type that do not do something until they decide to do it, then they proceed like a house afire. The boys' early academic career was not particularly impressive but both have very strong vocabularies and are improving their reading skills at an acceptable pace.
Rather than push and prod them in an academically structured way, I provide an example by reading excessively myself and look for books that they will enjoy because when they are interested in a subject, they can be fairly voracious readers. If they don't enjoy it, reading is a chore. If he likes dinosaurs, get tons of dinosaur books of varying reading levels so that some he can try on his own, others you reading to him, which is AS important as his learning to read himself.
I remember an anecdote from one of Hillary Clinton's books. I think she was around 8 and Chelsea would not read aloud in class although she was quite capable of doing so. When they spoke to her about it, she told them she was afraid if she was able to read too well they would stop reading to her. My daughter is 16 and still wants my mother to read her Harry Potter, she said it is more fun to listen to grandma than reading it herself, lol.
With a child this age, I would opt for what others suggested, find ways to make reading fun like signs while you are driving and games and other interesting and different ways. If the child is the type that will enjoy the one-on-one interaction and what they do at Sylvan then by all means go for it, but pay attention to what the child is and is not getting out of it.
And please, stress that reading is fun and that it is great to get better at it but not in a way that fosters academic competition. You want him to exceed in this area to make education better because that is a key component of his future but it is easy to get into a sort of keeping up with the Joneses in an educational way that can breed the opposite of what you wish for your child. | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/7/2008 9:55:57 AM |
And please, stress that reading is fun and that it is great to get better at it but not in a way that fosters academic competition. You want him to exceed in this area to make education better because that is a key component of his future but it is easy to get into a sort of keeping up with the Joneses in an educational way that can breed the opposite of what you wish for your child.
A very poignant point.
I love reading, and his mom and I always and still read to him. I have books everywhere, so he is constantly surrounded by them, so I'm sure I'm giving him the impression reading is fun. | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/7/2008 11:32:56 AM | I personally think that is too young to worry about it yet.
I homeschooled for 10 yrs, both my boys and my daughter. I will pass along what my evaluator told me about the boys being late bloomers in reading...."99% of boys don't get it until around 8-10. The lightbulb doesn't go on until then."
Relax, keep working on things at home, make sure to center it around his interests, and you will be amazed at how quickly he will take off on his own. | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/7/2008 8:28:19 PM | OP.. every child learns how to read at their own pace. Neither one of mine was reading at the end of kindergarten, but something in grade 1 suddenly clicked for both of them and it was hard to keep them supplied with reading material. My youngest went in not really knowing anything, and now reads to me nightly. Once that connection was made, everything just fell into place and they both learned in leaps and bounds. Kind of like how they learn their vocabulary, picking up new words like a dry sponge.
I wouldn't worry about it until next year, esp if his teacher wasn't concerned about it. They have no expectations of the kids knowing how to read at the end of kindergarten.
Spend some time reading with him over the summer. Start pointing out the smaller words like *a*, *at*, *the*, *and*, *up*, *to*, etc. I sat with both of mine reading, using my finger to point to each word, similar to how they teach them to track the words when they're reading, and when I got to the small ones, I'd stop and ask them to *read* that word for me. You can work on color words too.. red, blue, green.. using the right colors to write them in. Visual clues work wonders.
Good luck... | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/8/2008 9:55:47 AM | I'm glad you are going to leave it for the summer.
Have you actually looked into what they are supposed to know at the end of kindergarten/beginning of grade 1 in Alberta? I did several years ago, and was told that to 'pass' kindergarten, they needed to recognize their name, say the alphabet and count to 10. Academically, that's it (although, I'm sure there is a certain level of discretion that the teacher can use for social reasons).
Like other posters have said, boys do learn a bit later than girls. Although my son could 'read' quite well at the end of kindergarten, he didn't really 'get it' until the end of grade 3... and is now reading adult Star Wars books at the end of grade 4.
Unless the teacher raised some concerns, I wouldn't worry about it at all.
Here is a link for Alberta's education guidelines, in case you are wondering where he should be.
http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bysubject/kinder.asp | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/14/2008 8:28:17 PM | | i've heard pluses and minuses about it as it varies by location and who is teaching. i just answered this, however, to make sure if you think your kid has a learning disability to get him/her tested. there is an iep, individualized educational plan, which has legal backing. you cannot always pick this out now, but keep your eyes on it. many people do not take advantage of this for their kids and very bright children get kicked to the wayside. | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/15/2008 5:41:36 PM | Hi Guy:
I have taken my daughter to Oxford, which is very similar to Sylvan but, I think, less expensive.
I would recommend just reading to him and finding learning games that you can play together at that age. Adding to your son's workload and pressuring him may be what turns him off learning.
My daughter was awarded a scholarship for tutoring at Oxford because we are a low-income family. She put so much work/effort into it, that now, when I want her to continue to make things easier going into highschool, she is very resistant. She says it took over her life and allowed no time for enjoyments.
Good luck.
Nutt | |
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| Sylvan Learning....
Posted: 7/17/2008 2:25:06 PM | Well quick update for the curious. My sons mom and I did decide to enroll him for the summer. Thanks for all of the feed back everyone it certainly added to the decision process. He said that he really likes going, so we shall se how it continues, and also find out what sort of steps we can do to reinforce what he is learning.
Thanks again! | |
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