One of mine was also very perfectionistic, maybe bordering on OCD in many ways. It was first grade and he would not allow himself permission to spell phonetically, so I was thankful that he learned to read and write fairly quickly and easily. He began writing and as he gradually came to want to communicate more than he wanted to write only words spelled perfectly, our lives got a whole lot easier. We went through a lot of sticky notes that year! But what pure pleasure it was to teach this very gifted little boy. The other one was a little girl, first grader also. I also had a little girl that year who spoke so rarely, and so softly, she was practically mute. I can remember going to the teachers' room one lunch a couple of days before school was out for Christmas, plopping my tray down, saying, "Oh, man, this can't get much worse. I had to talk to "Hannah" and "Hadley" about being so loud." Everyone but me burst into laughter and for one split second I couldn't figure out for the life of me what was so funny! We live in our own realities, I guess. They indeed weren't speaking but were laughing and "zooming" in very pre-Christmas ways. Ah, the faces we see and the stories we know....
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2008 01:48:02 -0400> To: > mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Amanda Posting> > I, too, > have had kids who were considered "selective mutes" and tried to use > ideas > from Mel Levine ... esp. the idea of demystifying the problem. > Basically, I > told them I understood they were choosing not to speak... that I did > not > understand all the reasons why they were making that choice but that I > > understood that the choice was important and theirs to make. I told them I > would > respect their choice and that I knew that they were smart.. that they > just > needed to express themselves in different ways.... I also had told > them they had > an obligation to learn and show their learning and that I > wanted to be a > part of that journey. We worked out a way together to > communicate.... one > decided to use written format... another chose to speak > through just one friend in > the class. Both were first graders at that time > and both are quite verbal > now though each came to in it in their own way > and in their own time.> Interestingly enough, one entered a school wide > poetry contest in first > grade and won. Our coordinator of the assembly > wanted the child to read his poem > aloud to the school. I asked for a reader > for him but she would not hear of > it. And she finally selected the second > runner up. Incensed, I worked out a > deal with his mom and had the child > write his poem on a large sheet of chart > paper which I hung on the doors of > the school meeting room. We made arrows and > "scavenger hunt" signs for the > school population to find the poem and figure > out the identity of the > mystery poet. It was a huge success. Everyone > congratulated my student for > his ideas. Soon after, he started talking.> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > In a message dated 8/5/2008 9:52:15 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > [EMAIL > PROTECTED] writes:> > I've taught two children who have been "selective > mutes" who spoke nary a > word at school, but talked their head off at home. > It's indeed a intense > shyness and, in our case, culturally bound, as Lori's > probably was. One started > to speak in second grade and one in seventh > grade. Bev> > > Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 19:02:36 -0600> From: [EMAIL > PROTECTED]> To: > mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Amanda > Posting> > I had a child > who did not speak until Thanksgiving. Not one > word. He was> very shy, had > lost first his cat and then his beloved > grandparent, which> didn't help the > situation much. Then finally one day he > said, "I choose to> pass" when asked to > share and his classmates gave him a > standing ovation!> Once he started to talk > up, he didn't stop. I attended > his graduation this> past spring.> > Lori> > > > On 8/5/08 4:27 PM, "Tracy > Gaestel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:> > > I had a > child who refused to speak > one year. I had her participate by> > writing and > holding up the > whiteboard. By the following year she was> > talking in class. I > just felt > that I needed to honor her decision not to> > talk but keep the > expectation > for participation.> > > > Tracy> > > > On Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:38:03 > -0700, > amanda qandah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> > wrote:> > > >> Hello my name > is Amanda > and I am currently attending a class with Dr.> >> Creech at Wayne > State > University. I was curious about what steps I can> >> take towards > getting a > shy student to become more involved in class> >> discussions when he/she > > refuses to participate?> >> > >> > > _______________________________________________> >> Mosaic mailing list> >> > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> >> To > unsubscribe or modify your membership > please go to> >> > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.> >> > > >> Search the MOSAIC > archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.> >> > > >> > >> > >> No virus found in > this incoming message.> >> Checked by AVG - > http://www.avg.com> >> Version: > 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.5.12/1592 - > Release Date:> >> 8/5/2008 6:03 AM> > >> > >> > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________> > > Mosaic mailing list> > > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> > To unsubscribe or modify > your membership > please go to> > > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.> > > > > Search the MOSAI> C archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.> > > > -- > > Lori Jackson> > District Literacy Coach & Mentor> Todd County School > District> Box 87> Mission > SD 57555> > http:www.tcsdk12.org> ph. > 605.856.2211> > > Literacies for All > Summer Institute> July 17-20. 2008> > Tucson, Arizona> > > > > > _______________________________________________> > Mosaic mailing list> > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> To unsubscribe or modify > your membership please go to> > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.> > > Search the > MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > > _________________________________________________________________> Get more > from your digital life. Find out how.> > http://www.windowslive.com/default.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Home2_082008> > _______________________________________________> Mosaic mailing list> > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please > go to> > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.> > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > > > > > > > **************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? > > Read reviews on AOL Autos. > > (http://autos.aol.com/cars-BMW-128-2008/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00050000000017 > )> _______________________________________________> Mosaic mailing list> > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org> To unsubscribe or modify your membership please > go to> > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org.> > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > _________________________________________________________________ Got Game? Win Prizes in the Windows Live Hotmail Mobile Summer Games Trivia Contest http://www.gowindowslive.com/summergames?ocid=TXT_TAGHM _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
