A little girl enrolled in our school today who is seven years old and never been to school. Seven! She should be in SECOND grade. I tested her and found her to be preschool level on every test. She could only identify about 6 letters and really didn’t know any of the sounds. She could spell her name orally for me and was able to handle a book with proper directionality. She was very verbal though and all smiles while I was testing and talking to her. She seems very bright.
Later, the mother told me she was having a “bad time” a few years ago so the father came and took Divina to California. She didn’t really know what went on in California as far as education but that Divina hadn’t been to a doctor in the year and a half she’d been there. The mother was able to bring her back about six months ago but had trouble getting a birth certificate to enroll her in school. Six months to get a birth certificate? I doubt that! Talk about falling through the cracks! It angers me that this bright, beautiful child has not received the education she has a right to. Not sure which agency would be responsible for this child, considering a cross country move. I wish the parents could be made to realize the sizable disadvantage this child will have in school and maybe for the rest of her life if we’re unable to close gap she’s had in her education. It’s very much a shame.
The mother seemed very earnest about getting her daughter caught up and was willing to work with her and enroll her in summer school. This means we have about 2 months to catch this beautiful child up on three years of education. I hope she can catch up enough to be enrolled in first grade in the fall. I think I know a little of what the man who discovered the wolf boy of Aveyron must have felt. She’s kind of a blank slate and I feel like her potential is a tightly wrapped package just waiting to be opened and encouraged to grow and grow. I am eager to find out all this child can learn in the next few months.
What? Nothing about infertility?!? Hmmm….nothing much to report. Last birth control pill yesterday so now I’m waiting for AF. Anticipating scary intramuscular injection on Friday.
My sister teaches at a very poor school district in southern Louisiana and tells me stories like this ALL THE TIME. She literally has had kids tell her when they're expecting a new baby brother or sister that Momma is doing it so the state will give her more money... ugh
ReplyDeleteSo sad. Hope she manages to do as much catching up as possible.
ReplyDeleteAnd good luck with the injection!
That is really sad. I hope the summer school helps her to catch up.
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