Read young
Bilik pendidikan khas sena. I first entered this room about three months ago. In less than three months time, I realized one thing. One thing that only now came to my awareness, A fact that is hard for me to see, Harder for this heart to bear. There are many reasons why I am here up until today. Yes here, in this colourful room. A room full of colourful teaching aids here and there. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, You name it. My first two months was difficult, I must say. I could not help myself being so awkward. That I stayed in this room most of the time. Staring crafts and posters on the walls, thinking. Bilik pendidikan khas sena, Some might know but most might not. This room here is where two special programmes are given to special and selected students. First, is the REP. Second, is the IEP. Cut short, REP is for student that have difficulties in learning. Whereas the IEP is for student that require special needs. For example, students with ASD (autism), epilepsy as well as physical and speech problems. I would say, most of them does not know how to read. Even simple syllables like ‘ba’ and ‘ca’ in malay. I’ve been wondering and asking why for months now, What causes this actually? Wallahuaklam. There are this three REP boys I meet everyday in bilik sena. They are in year 6 and will be taking their PSR by the end of this year. My heart breaks everytime I see them struggling to read. Imagine, they are year 6 students and can not read? They could even barely know the alphabets. Honestly, this heart break even more. As parents we all want the best for our children and so does teachers. It is important to make sure children are able to read at their early age. But often not all children are the same. What if your child is not at the reading level they are expected to be at? Don’t panic and don’t make your child stressed about reading. It may be the case that your child is young for their year group, or not developmentally ready for reading. Most children don’t progress in a straight line as they learn to read, they may have periods of fast progress followed by periods of consolidation. Children who start off behind for any reason tend to take a little while to catch up. “Reading should be about having fun and adventure and magic, not just about making progress,”so said Michaela Morgan. Many children learn at different rates, and you shouldn’t get anxious. It can be very worrying though, if you think your child is falling behind. So make an appointment to discuss your concerns with your child’s class teacher. Explain exactly what it is that is worrying you. Reading is really great for everyone, and loving books is something that can start when you are very young. What I can conclude here is that get your children familiar with words and reading before school. Read to them as regularly and fun as possible. Make reading as something that happens at home and is shared by everyone in the family. With this you will definitely be helping them in so many ways. In Shaa Allah. Done by: AS