A Question for 3Rd Grade Teachers/parents

As a former 3rd grade teacher- and 2nd and 5th grade in Texas (and mother of only one 22 month old), I do need to tell you that it's near impossible for a teacher of 20plus kids to work one-on-one with your daughter while the rest of the class works on their own. A classroom of kids can sit still for maybe 5 minutes before needing a teacher to redirect or intervene in something. But of course, a teacher's job is to help all of their students to be successful! And if your daughter is not being successful, then her teacher MUST address it. She should be finding ways to help your daughter - a small group, a private lunch with your daugther once a week to work on math during lunch time, tutorials afterschool. I would be surprised if this close to TAKS, there is not a pull out group for math (a math specialist makes a schedule to come and get all 3rd graders that are struggling, or takes at least the ones that if pushed a LITTLE bit more, will pass TAKS). Perhaps ask the teacher or grade level chair or principal if the teacher is not cooperative with you.

I think a tutor is a great idea right now, as it will give her the one-on-one that she needs. I hope that you have found someone who will help teach your daughter why and when to use a certain operation (adding, subtracting, etc) and not just how to add, how to subtract.

Something I don't think most parents know is that old TAKS tests are online with the answer key. I do not like teaching 'to the test', but it would be a great eye-opener for YOU to see the test so you know what your daughter is up against. Open GOOGLE, type in TAKS TEST and the first link is the 'release tests'. Scroll down and click on anything that's 3rd grade math in English.

It's tough to figure out just WHY a child doesn't get the math idea. In other kids I've seen, they need to draw the picture of what's happening (which is VERY GOOD to do!!!) yet they need help figuring out how to turn what they read into a picture. Other kids struggle with understanding what they're reading, such as "How many more cookies did Joe have than Sarah?" They don't know if they're supposed to subtract or add or do WHAT with that kind of question - so I recommend drawing a picture and I ask "Joe has more, right? Well how many more, How many extra?" One student I dealt with understood the math well, but rushed. He didn't want to be the last one through (the kids can't talk ALL DAY (except for lunch) until the last kid in the room finishes - it's stressful for that last kiddo - the pressure on them. So I gave him practice tests in bunches of 10 questions. 10 questions one day, 10 the next, 10 the next. He passed when he stretched it out. So taking a break is important. Your daugther should be able to go to the restroom, get a drink of water after 10 or 12 questions. Teach her to do that. Talk to her teacher ahead of time.

As you can tell, I have a lot to say and I LOVED teaching. I now love being a stay at home mom, but my passion for helping kids learn will always be a part of me. And I especially love math too. Message me if you have more questions or anything.

Oh and as for private school - see if you can talk to any parents to find out what you're getting into before enrolling. I have heard both bad and good. I do think though, that there is no TAKS - YEA!

When my son was in third grade, I had to check over all his homework with him every night and sign or initial every piece of paper that was turned in. If parents did not sign, the children would have their names in the dog house board for a day in the classroom. It was the child's responsibility to make sure parents signed and didn't forget. As annoying as it was (and I swear by the end of the year I was getting writers cramp from signing my name 10 times a day), I could see the areas where my son needed more help, and then I'd work through the problems with him. We did flash cards, and I would print off work sheets and have him do the problems for me just for fun at home. The extra practice put him at the top of his class. The school is a big believer in parent participation and involvement with homework. He was the only child in his grade in his school to score 100 percent across all 6 of his SOL tests for the third grade.
http://themathworksheetsite.com

First of all, how are the other kids in her class doing? Are they also having the same learning problems? If this is a whole class struggling there may be a teacher issue.

If you child is the only one, you may need to take a look at what is going on.. Third grade can be a tough year. The students are expected to have strong reading skills by this grade. They are to have already mastered many math basic problems by the time the school year started.

Is your child in accelerated classes or in regular paced classes? If she is in accelerated you may want to consider having her moved for a while to a regular paced class. Or it could be the opposite, maybe your child is so accelerated she is bored.

The students are also given more independent work and if they are easily distracted, they can fall behind very quickly. Work with her on doing "her best work". Teach her how to check her math problems. Have her write down words she does not understand while reading. Then help her look them up.

Also make sure she knows her basics in math by heart. Addition, subtraction, multiplication should all be really set in her mind so that she does not have to stop and count any of that out.

Maybe she needs to sit up in front so that she is not distracted.

Have you had her eyes and ears tested lately? We noticed in our elementary school, many 3rd graders go through some fast growth spurts.
Their bodies start maturing but their minds are still child like.. Might want to just check on that also.

You can also ask the teacher if your daughter can be observed a couple of times by the assistant principal or the specialist on campus that evaluates the students.. They may notice things that the rest of you have not noticed..

Hang in there.. I promise, teachers want to students to do well in classes. Speak with the teacher and try to come up with a plan.

Third grade is a very challenging year. I have taught many grades, and I think this is the year that I have seen the most kids begin to struggle. The general rule is that odd number grades introduce more new concepts, and the even number grades continue to reinforce them (again, this is general, not a 100% rule). For example, in math, addition and subtraction are usually introduced in 1st grade. Then multiplication in 3rd grade. But, by 3rd grade, kids are expected to be a lot more accountable for everything on their own. If a child has difficulty focusing, organizing, keeping pace with the class, etc., it is often the year it really begins to show.
I agree with the previous poster who said it is nearly impossible for a teacher to give extended one on one attention. Teachers are expected to adjust their teaching to different levels as a whole, but if one student is not on par with the others, more intervention may be needed. There may be the need for testing and supplemental classes.
I have also noticed you mentioned "teachers" (plural). That makes me think it may not be a teacher problem, but that your daughter is genuinely experiencing some difficulty. If it was a single person, it could always be a personality conflict, etc., but since it is more than one person you are referring to, it may be time to come to the realization that she may need additional intervention. Best of luck with it, I bet with a little extra boost she will be fine.

I have also taught third grade (as well as other grades) and agree with Jenn S. Third grade is one of the hardest grades kids go through and the odd years are introductory years. Kids go from addition/subtraction with some regrouping(borrowing/carry-over) to multiplication & division. They go from writing simple sentences to paragraphs, from manuscript handwriting to cursive, from identifying coins to adding money, reading simple books to chapter books...and then there are the science and social studies curriculum!

With that said, third grade is a tough year anyway, but if you don't have the right teacher for your child the while situation can be really hard. You mentioned teachers. Does your child switch classes for math? Is there more than one teacher in the classroom? Is the classroom size large (over 21 kids)? These may also play a factor.

I think hiring a tutor is be the best thing you can do for your child. I now tutor privately and I tutor kids from all the different schools (private included) and it just comes down to givng a child the extra one-on-one attention for a set amount of time (an hour) each week. It is VERY difficult to give a child an extended amount of time in the classroom on a one-on-one basis. Most teachers will try to give a small group of students some time, but that is usually only for 20 minutes every couple of days, especially if the teacher is in the room by him/herself.

It also sounds like the curriculum may be going much faster than your daughter is ready for. This happens A LOT! Teachers are pushed so hard to cover more and more material in a school year than ever before. Last night I tutored a 4th grader on ALGEBRA! I'm not kidding. I never even learned the content that I tutored last night until I was in 8th grade.

Please understand that I am not trying to make excuses for her teacher(s). There are some bad ones out there (like every profession). Try the tutor and make sure this person is a good fit for your daughter. I would change tutors before you change schools. Private schools seem to push curriculum and accountability much harder than public schools (a good fit for some students....but maybe not your child).

Continue the tutor through the summer (even if only an hour a week). Have this person address core concepts in order. Most of the time a child just needs to have "potholes" filled in and then it is a smooth ride.

I hope this helps!

My son, also in 3rd grade had some issues as well. Something I did not really think of was fish oil, they call it brain food. I have had my son on it for 4 months and have seen a great improvement. It helps with concentration and just really powers the brain. We all know we don't get enough fish oil. A product I use, called Mighty Smarts and for anyone who can swallow, OmegaGuard all by Shaklee. Always safe, very green company.
http://kellyk.myshaklee.com/us/en/category.php?main_cat=N...
I do share/sell Shaklee. I will offer you a discount and a money back guarantee. K. ###-###-####
Best of luck.
Mother of 2 (age 8 and 10)