Re: dyslexia (long-sorry!)

June 3, 2001

Hi Ruthie

> Zehava (18) is severely dyslexic. But she has had a *dreadful*

> struggle all her life. She wasn't diagnosed until she was 8

Similar story here, wasn't recognised by the LEA until he was 10 and

only then because we had him assessed privately by an ed psych who said " of

course he's dyslexic!!! " i.e. don't be ridiculous it's obvious!. #250 pound

later and his ignorant horrible teacher says " well ... is dyslexic and SHE

doesn't behave like him " ! Poor lamb was psychologically distressed by this

time and now had behavioural problems (only exhibited in school though).

He was seen by a Support Teacher for his 'behavioural problems', she did him

more harm than good, an awful woman who told me SHE was the EXPERT when I

tried to explain how she was upsetting him. We eventually met with the Team

Leader at the LEA - a really good woman who listened and agreed his

statement in full consultation with us without feeling threatened - a real

professional

> Now the school has a proper special ed unit, thanks to Zehava and our

> determination.

Excellent work, well done to you and to Zehava for sticking with it

Junior School recommended went into the MLD class as, in their opinion,

he " needed to be mothered " HOW DARE THEY! We persuaded the school to put

him into Top Class, they were hesitant, never put a child with a Statement

of Special Educational Needs into Top Class before ... said they'd try it

for one term ... he proved himself (with the provision of special needs

teaching) and stayed there, School use him as their success story and will

do it again where appropriate.

> However she did A levels and did well.

Congratulations to Zehava. achieved 8 GCSEs (with a scribe & extra

time) and is now studying A levels and I'm so proud ))

struggles with his short-term memory and his attention so this has a

major effect on his day-to-day life, more so than his problems with writing

and spelling. We've just got to the stage where Gethyn is telling me that

I've got to stop taking responsibility for him, I know I've got to let go a

bit ... but when I do his routine, responsibilities, organising, remembering

.... all fall to pieces and he winds up confused and miserable ... oh what to

do?

Jenni

(& Gethyn) nearly 17yrs, Mari 3yrs (HB), Babi Bach exp.09/2001

P.S. Sorry this is so long ... once I get started on this ...

June 4, 2001

> Congratulations to Zehava. achieved 8 GCSEs (with a scribe &

extra

> time) and is now studying A levels and I'm so proud ))

Wow. There were only *so* many subjects Zehava *could* do. Her school

being an orthodox Jewish girls grammar school, had restrictions on

certain subjects they thought " dodgy " (eg Biology as one might end up

learning about SEX " shock horror " ..yes I know, I know)

She didn't do any foreign languages in school as she had enough

trouble mastering English, and the school decided not to put her in

for any text-heavy subjects like history as she still found reading so

difficult. She did six GCSE's (all that was left available) and

passed all of them.

The A levels offered by her school were also v. limited and they only

did a one year A level course so the work was *extremely* intensely

concentrated. She decided to do history and English (only language

offered,as literature was considered dodgy at A level). English

language A level is extremely grammar intensive and after only a few

months, plus organising her own private lessons, she just couldn't

cope, so switched to religious studies (RS). Believe it or not, the

school didn't offer *this* subject either (it involved comparing

religions, and even if one didn't do that part of the paper, the

school considered the Jewish part not orthodox enough) so she

organised her own private teacher on that too, with one other girl,

and did the two year A level course in four months, and got a B for

it.

At history she did less well; she hadn't done the GCSE, and it was a

very hard subject for anyone to choose, let alone someone who found

reading so difficult. She got a D but it was a pass grade.

She has more or less mastered English reading, but she still finds

Hebrew mind-crunchingly difficult, and reads it extremely slowly, and

its translation eludes her completely, which is a handicap now she is

in a Jewish seminary where Hebrew reading and translation is a day to

day activity. The teachers, especially the Head, are very kind and

sympathetic, translating exams for her, and she gets help from her

friends.

It seems dyslexia affects people differently. I never have to organise

Zehava's life, she is the spunkiest, most go-getting kid I have. But

every now and then when the reading difficulties affect her,she has a

weepy attack of the " why me " 's and I don't know how to help her except

to hold and comfort her.

Ruthie

> struggles with his short-term memory and his attention so this

has a

> major effect on his day-to-day life, more so than his problems with

writing

> and spelling. We've just got to the stage where Gethyn is telling

me that

> I've got to stop taking responsibility for him, I know I've got to

let go a

> bit ... but when I do his routine, responsibilities, organising,

remembering

> ... all fall to pieces and he winds up confused and miserable ... oh

what to

> do?

>

> Jenni

> (& Gethyn) nearly 17yrs, Mari 3yrs (HB), Babi Bach exp.09/2001

>

> P.S. Sorry this is so long ... once I get started on this ...

June 4, 2001

COdicil to my story about Zehava,

She had a scribe to correct all her spellings, as many of them were

indecipherable, and extra time. She still can't spell to save her

life. (

Ruthie

June 4, 2001

>

>> Congratulations to Zehava. achieved 8 GCSEs (with a scribe &

>extra

>> time) and is now studying A levels and I'm so proud ))

>

>Wow. There were only *so* many subjects Zehava *could* do. Her school

>being an orthodox Jewish girls grammar school, had restrictions on

>certain subjects they thought " dodgy " (eg Biology as one might end up

>learning about SEX " shock horror " ..yes I know, I know)

Um, Ruthie, why (with this and the other, particularly problematic

for your DD, features you mentioned) did you send her to this

school?! (Says she who was so fixated on one playgroup that she

wouldn't look at others he could actually attend in nappies for

nearly two terms ie that were appropriate for *him*)

--

jennifer@...

Vaudin

June 4, 2001

>

>> Congratulations to Zehava. achieved 8 GCSEs (with a scribe &

>extra

>> time) and is now studying A levels and I'm so proud ))

>

>Wow. There were only *so* many subjects Zehava *could* do. Her school

>being an orthodox Jewish girls grammar school, had restrictions on

>certain subjects they thought " dodgy " (eg Biology as one might end up

>learning about SEX " shock horror " ..yes I know, I know)

Um, Ruthie, why (with this and the other, particularly problematic

for your DD, features you mentioned) did you send her to this

school?! (Says she who was so fixated on one playgroup that she

wouldn't look at others he could actually attend in nappies for

nearly two terms ie that were appropriate for *him*)

--

jennifer@...

Vaudin

June 4, 2001

>

>> Congratulations to Zehava. achieved 8 GCSEs (with a scribe &

>extra

>> time) and is now studying A levels and I'm so proud ))

>

>Wow. There were only *so* many subjects Zehava *could* do. Her school

>being an orthodox Jewish girls grammar school, had restrictions on

>certain subjects they thought " dodgy " (eg Biology as one might end up

>learning about SEX " shock horror " ..yes I know, I know)

Um, Ruthie, why (with this and the other, particularly problematic

for your DD, features you mentioned) did you send her to this

school?! (Says she who was so fixated on one playgroup that she

wouldn't look at others he could actually attend in nappies for

nearly two terms ie that were appropriate for *him*)

--

jennifer@...

Vaudin

June 4, 2001

> Um, Ruthie, why (with this and the other, particularly problematic

> for your DD, features you mentioned) did you send her to this

> school?! (Says she who was so fixated on one playgroup that she

> wouldn't look at others he could actually attend in nappies for

> nearly two terms ie that were appropriate for *him*)

> --

>

> jennifer@v...

> Vaudin

Well. The other choice was; a school which possibly catered to her

special-ed needs a bit better than her school did, but was less

suitable for us as religious Jews. She obviously wanted to mix with

her " own kind " of Jewish girl, her peer group. We get labelled

according to what school/seminary etc we go to. We had to take the

good with the bad in this school, and until such time as other more

enlightened religious girls schools open up in our area, so will

future girls like Zehava.

As it turns out the schools opening to " correct " the problems of her

school are more fundamentalist and extreme in their religious

doctrines even than her school, which has been considered as " going

downhill " in our community's opinion.

A more " middle of the road " school would have less religious girls

going to it, so be not so attractive to our certain type of girl

anyway.

It's a difficult one. The boys' school Yeshaya has been attending,

(DH chairman of Governors) is pretty broad minded, but safely

religious, and offers a two yr A level course, but again, certain

subjects are restricted. He wants to go to another Jewish school for

6th form, which is to the left of his present school and contains a

definite non-religious element of boys at the bottom end of the

spectrum, who are little more than drug-dealing thugs, some of them.

You pays your money, you takes your choices.

Ruthie

June 4, 2001

> Um, Ruthie, why (with this and the other, particularly problematic

> for your DD, features you mentioned) did you send her to this

> school?! (Says she who was so fixated on one playgroup that she

> wouldn't look at others he could actually attend in nappies for

> nearly two terms ie that were appropriate for *him*)

> --

>

> jennifer@v...

> Vaudin

Well. The other choice was; a school which possibly catered to her

special-ed needs a bit better than her school did, but was less

suitable for us as religious Jews. She obviously wanted to mix with

her " own kind " of Jewish girl, her peer group. We get labelled

according to what school/seminary etc we go to. We had to take the

good with the bad in this school, and until such time as other more

enlightened religious girls schools open up in our area, so will

future girls like Zehava.

As it turns out the schools opening to " correct " the problems of her

school are more fundamentalist and extreme in their religious

doctrines even than her school, which has been considered as " going

downhill " in our community's opinion.

A more " middle of the road " school would have less religious girls

going to it, so be not so attractive to our certain type of girl

anyway.

It's a difficult one. The boys' school Yeshaya has been attending,

(DH chairman of Governors) is pretty broad minded, but safely

religious, and offers a two yr A level course, but again, certain

subjects are restricted. He wants to go to another Jewish school for

6th form, which is to the left of his present school and contains a

definite non-religious element of boys at the bottom end of the

spectrum, who are little more than drug-dealing thugs, some of them.

You pays your money, you takes your choices.

Ruthie

June 4, 2001

Ruthie,

I can relate to your daughter and your son . At the grand age of 41 I still

have problems from time to time especially when tired or disorientated.

At the age of 8 my parents were asked to remove me from the expensive boarding

school they has just sent me to for being illiterate and ineducatable! A number

of schools and psychologists later I ended up at private day school here in

Jersey. I asked to stay down a year and this made an enormous difference and

enabled me to catch up and make sense of my education. I took French at 16 and 8

GCSE at 17.

I never revised - I just got totally confused, I also got horrendously wound up

before exams to the extent that Dad got me drunk the night before my history 'O'

level I spent the morning of the exam flaked out in the sun with a hangover took

the exam in the afternoon and even managed to re-read it and see the three

paragraphs that were complete gibberish- mirror writing and original spelling. I

got my best grade for History.

I went on live in France for a year to study French. Train in Hotel Management

when I came back then worked as a PA/ Book Keeper of a musician for 15 years.

Taught Tourism studies and trained as an ANT, I now work P/T as an office

administrator with main responsibility for the purchase ledger.

I only had one teacher who was a real problem he neither accepted the dyslexia

nor that I spent one term off with glandular fever and I walked out of his class

within 10 minutes of meeting him and refused to attend his classes until he

apologized! My parents also threatened to remove me from the school if he

continued his bullying. Oddly enough he and his wife were murdered by their

sons some years later.

The two things that helped me cope were my parents who never pressurized me and

just encouraged me to do my best and my love of horses - when really low I'd

just spend hours grooming and riding, I would also read anything with a horse

in it. One reason I read Lord of the Rings at 12.

Caroline

Jersey

Thank Heavens for Spell Checkers

> ** Original Subject: Re: dyslexia (long-sorry!)

> **

> ** Original Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2001 07:55:29 +0100

> ** Original Message follows...

>

> > Congratulations to Zehava. achieved 8 GCSEs (with a scribe &

> extra

> > time) and is now studying A levels and I'm so proud ))

>

> Wow. There were only *so* many subjects Zehava *could* do. Her school

> being an orthodox Jewish girls grammar school, had restrictions on

> certain subjects they thought " dodgy " (eg Biology as one might end up

> learning about SEX " shock horror " ..yes I know, I know)

>

> She didn't do any foreign languages in school as she had enough

> trouble mastering English, and the school decided not to put her in

> for any text-heavy subjects like history as she still found reading so

> difficult. She did six GCSE's (all that was left available) and

> passed all of them.

>

> The A levels offered by her school were also v. limited and they only

> did a one year A level course so the work was *extremely* intensely

> concentrated. She decided to do history and English (only language

> offered,as literature was considered dodgy at A level). English

> language A level is extremely grammar intensive and after only a few

> months, plus organising her own private lessons, she just couldn't

> cope, so switched to religious studies (RS). Believe it or not, the

> school didn't offer *this* subject either (it involved comparing

> religions, and even if one didn't do that part of the paper, the

> school considered the Jewish part not orthodox enough) so she

> organised her own private teacher on that too, with one other girl,

> and did the two year A level course in four months, and got a B for

> it.

>

> At history she did less well; she hadn't done the GCSE, and it was a

> very hard subject for anyone to choose, let alone someone who found

> reading so difficult. She got a D but it was a pass grade.

>

> She has more or less mastered English reading, but she still finds

> Hebrew mind-crunchingly difficult, and reads it extremely slowly, and

> its translation eludes her completely, which is a handicap now she is

> in a Jewish seminary where Hebrew reading and translation is a day to

> day activity. The teachers, especially the Head, are very kind and

> sympathetic, translating exams for her, and she gets help from her

> friends.

>

> It seems dyslexia affects people differently. I never have to organise

> Zehava's life, she is the spunkiest, most go-getting kid I have. But

> every now and then when the reading difficulties affect her,she has a

> weepy attack of the " why me " 's and I don't know how to help her except

> to hold and comfort her.

>

> Ruthie

>

> > struggles with his short-term memory and his attention so this

> has a

> > major effect on his day-to-day life, more so than his problems with

> writing

> > and spelling. We've just got to the stage where Gethyn is telling

> me that

> > I've got to stop taking responsibility for him, I know I've got to

> let go a

> > bit ... but when I do his routine, responsibilities, organising,

> remembering

> > ... all fall to pieces and he winds up confused and miserable ... oh

> what to

> > do?

> >

> > Jenni

> > (& Gethyn) nearly 17yrs, Mari 3yrs (HB), Babi Bach exp.09/2001

> >

> > P.S. Sorry this is so long ... once I get started on this ...

>

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June 4, 2001