response 1 of 22:

Dec 5 12:56 UTC 1997

My wife knows a *lot* about this sort of thing.  Mail me if you want to
talk to her some time.

response 3 of 22:

Dec 8 12:36 UTC 1997

An all too common story.  How is the teacher in a classroom of 25+
suppose to address the needs of who fall outside of the norm?

response 7 of 22:

Dec 11 02:41 UTC 1997

Yeah, I've had a similar experience.  For both Timothy and me, I don't
think it's so much a *short* attention span- both of us can attend to
something of interest for *hours*, but rather, difficulty pinning ourselves
to what needs to be done rather than what's in our heads.  Certainly, my
overt behavior has improved, but I remember being frustrated that I c
couldn't settle down and work as a kid, and Timothy looks so much like I
did. I worry that he'll also develop a pattern of helplessness and getting
caught behind, rather than experiencing successes upon which he can build.

response 9 of 22:

Dec 12 00:51 UTC 1997

Grace, I think that's part of it- Timothy is distracted from the work of
reading by the intense need to *know* in his head.  He's got all the parts,
but they won't fall together without practice.  He's *so* close, but he
just won't see it. <sigh>  Thing is, the content level he's looking for
is waaay above his instructional reading level, much less his independent
reading level, so trying to make it interest-based is even more 
frustrating.  Best seems to be making it social- reading with Grandpa or
some such.

response 11 of 22:

Dec 12 12:46 UTC 1997

And something that does have the content he wants, so that he can
see the goal for himself?  I vaguely remember an anecdote, I think from
_Summerhill_, about a child who had not been pushed to read and suddenly
mastered it from the technical radio manuals he wanted to use.

The stage of having all the pieces and not putting them together
independently is not just a matter of practice.  I remember that with
Jonathan there seemed to be two stages of mental sliding-into-place,
about a year apart, and after the second one (just about age six)
there was no stopping him -- at school he was distracted by all the
words on signs in his kindergarten room.  (Paul had a similar pattern
but a year later, so he was in first grade before he started reading
anything in sight)  The sliding-into-place, like most real learning,
probably doesn't work well under tension -- so the more you worry, the
harder he tries, the worse it gets!

response 13 of 22:

Dec 13 01:51 UTC 1997

For adult literacy materials, try the Ypsi District Library.  The section is
not all that large, but it exists.  (Or did a few years ago.)

response 15 of 22:

Dec 13 16:00 UTC 1997

FWIW, Jonathan also would not climb out of a crib independently even when I
put a chair next to it.  Some years later, I realized that he was seriously
afraid of heights, especially *open* heights.  He still has to take courage
with two hands to go down some open staircases.

Set drift = off.

response 17 of 22:

Dec 14 04:53 UTC 1997

valerie, that's really cool- that you remember it, that you had that
experience.  Wow!

Thanks, Grace.  I don't *think* Timothy is afraid of heights in particular,
but he has an uncomfortable level of natural caution (no, I didn't just
say he's a wimp- quite- but I'm encouraging him to take risks as I wish
my folks had encouraged me when *I* was a wimp...) in many areas so I do
think there was a measure of fear involved.  But the process of figuring
out that he wanted a bed and getting it was fun.

Hm, I'm not sure I know where the Ypsi library is.  I expect A2 has some,
too.  I should look.

response 21 of 22:

Dec 15 15:56 UTC 1997

You're right Klaus, although kids are hungry for information at various
stages, and I'm looking for ways to harness that hunger to the learning
process, without stifling it.