Standard of English writing in gaelscoil

Hi OP. I'm going to go against the grain and disagree with a lot of the other posters here. I think you are right to be concerned. I too would be concerned if my child was in that position at age 9. Yes, the child has lots of time to catch up - but seeing class mates progress ahead is going to be upsetting for yourself and your child.

There is nothing wrong with wanting the best for your child, and it is not about being competitive or pushy. It is just about wanting your child to manage school in a satisfactory manner, and keep up with peers. Falling behind at age 9 may have consequences later - OR may end up being just a case of slower development; we don't know yet. Of course, socializing and fun are the most important aspect - but it is entirely possible and reasonable to hope for academic success also.

I'm not sure how much time you have during the summer, but you could use that as an opportunity to do some fun learning stuff, and involve your other children, so that one one child is not singled out. There are loads of online resources to help with making learning fun and natural at home.

Reading should not be a chore - it should be a pleasant pastime. Make library trips a regular family activity, and allow the children to choose their own books. Enjoyment of reading and literary activities has to be modelled in the family. Add in a trip for ice-cream or some other activity to create positive associations. Buy fun stationery - online is cheapest - and have the kids write and illustrate their own stories - and maybe act them out. This is not homework - these are normal activities in families where learning is valued.

Maths for this age group can be incorporated into lots of family activities. Baking and cooking is a good one - all the weighing and measuring etc, and then the dividing of the goodies. Turn maths into a game. Using a more practical approach - eg with arts and craft materials - might help your child to connect the abstract theoretical concepts with real-life applications. Pocket money is another good idea for maths - link coins with small chores, and use the kids' wages to set fun maths tasks (percentages, fractions, etc)

I know other posters here are well-intentioned when they say not to worry, but ultimately this is your child - and you are the only one who is going to advocate for your own children. You cannot depend on the school - whether English or gaelscoil. Teachers care - but they don't have time and energy to cater for every individual, and the kids at each end of the spectrum (very weak and very bright) often don't get the attention they need.

Without giving away too much, I know from experience that teachers can often tell which children are being encouraged and supported at home, and which are not. It's not about extra homework and extra lessons - it's about a positive attitude to school and learning, and making good use of everyday activities to 'teach' your children in a fun way.

It sounds like you want to keep your child in the same school. See what you can do this summer, and next school year, to support your child - and then make up your mind for the following year about changing to an English school, depending on progress made.

Surprisingly hard to do….

I'd be concerned if a child was vaping.

I'd be concerned if a child was being bullied. Or if they were bullying. Or if they had no friends.

Being a poor reader is a different thing. Its the way they are. Its not because of poor decisions. Its not a sign of misactivity or boldness. Its not because their education has been neglected. And it certainly doesnt mean they are below average intelligence (or, at the weak end of the spectrum). Its just something that they are. So, 'concerned' - I dunno, suggests that you wont accept what they are, that there is something wrong with them that needs to be fixed.

Having lived through this - the advice you've offered - make reading fun, encourage them, reading should not be a chore….these are easy things to say.

However, if a child doesnt like reading then they dont think reading is fun, they do think reading is a chore, and certainly in our case it was pretty hard to make it any different. With my own child, we dragged her into libraries when she was younger to the extent that she practically has phobias of them now; I regret doing that. Of course at the time, we did it with good intentions, and to 'encourage her to read'. The other kids loved the library, loved reading.

So looking back, I would say the problem was us - our values were wrong, our understanding of poor reading was wrong. There is a pretty thin line between 'encouraging' and pushing/ bribing/ forcing - its pretty easy to tell yourself you are doing one, when actually you are doing the other.

However - on a more positive note:

The one thing that did get her reading was cookbooks, loves baking & will read the recipes. Not much but its something.

Audiobooks are a lot better than nothing. I would much sooner use these than 'encouraging' a child to read when they are not enjoying it.

I referenced the nun who helped our child with reading & dyslexia. The number one thing the nun did, more than anything else, was make the child feel good about herself.

EDIT - and just some comments in relation to @Kathnora's comments below. Parents can only compare the schools that are out there. That can be limiting to begin with, and in this case I believe it is. The second complication is that there are a number of children in the family. A Gaeilscoil might be right for the first and the second, but not for the third. But you only really find that out down the line. I think very few people will have a view at age of 4 or 5 that a child will be a good reader, or not be. The third is that gaeilscoils are usually mixed, whereas english language schools generally arent - all things being equal, this will be a big differentiating factor. Your advice of 'read, read, read' of course its good advice. But it shouldnt be a millstone.

Really, the question is - what is your advice for a child who doesnt enjoy reading….

a teacher suggested trying a variety of reading materials. Even the back of the cornflake packet is reading.

Instructions for assembling models…. Pre YouTube providing everything. Got a keen model maker into it.

Sis got a book on caring for a kitten and a new kitten,,, her 9 year old learned to read that summer.

we also got graphic novels… and later we bought graphic novels in French, the art teacher was delighted with that too and it kicked off an interesting journey into manga for the whole class. We also watched Japanese manga movies with English subtitles…

taytay123 ….. Of course the gaelscoileanna are going to sell their product to parents. They don't want to lose teachers if their enrolment drops. Many schools not just gaelscoileanna do their best to promote their school over others especially in large urban areas.

You mentioned your concern with regard to writing in Post 43. It can take a lot of time and effort to master this skill. English medium schools would typically devote an hour or more daily to English (oral, reading and writing). Plus …all other subjects are taught through English so the child gets an opportunity to practise their literacy skills while learning History or Environmental Studies etc. If you think about a child learning to cycle or swim or play the piano they don't acquire the skill without lots of practise. Reading and writing are skills too. As your child will be in 3rd class next term there should be more time spent on English writing skills. At the end of 3rd class I would expect an average to good child to be able to write a short recount story such as …..

"My birthday was on Saturday. I had a big party. My friends Amy, Jenny, Ruth and Kate came to my party. My mammy made a chocolate cake.

First we played games in the garden. My favourite game was Hide and Seek. We played skipping too.

Next we had lots of nice things to eat. All my friends sang Happy birthday and I blew out all my candles.

Then we watched a movie on Netflix.

At 6 o'clock my friends went home. I was very tired but I had a great party."

Now remember the above is based on English medium. I really don't know how that standard compares to a Gaelscoil.

Like reading writing needs to be practised too. Focus on the fun things ….making cards, craft work that includes writing. Buy her fancy gel pens. In order to encourage children to write full sentences I would get them to say the sentence aloud first (get the sentence in order) before writing. Don't be too harsh about the spelling or capital letters for a good while …it's more important that the child can say "I went to a party" and then write it in that order. You could also get the child to copy your sentences so that she sees how the words in a sentence are ordered. Plenty of reading practice will reinforce that too. Read the same book a few times (if the child likes the book) to familiarise her with its structure.

The above advice is probably too heavy for summer work but might be helpful for assisting with homework in 3rd class.

I read your comments -interesting discussion you started off. 🙂

3 Questions for you:

Where is her age relative to the class (Younger/average/older?)
Is she right or left handed?
What does she enjoy most in school / outside school?