Welcome to this week’s wrap where I share some of the successes and challenges of being a specialist dyslexia teacher.

Plus – Phonics books

Woot, woot I’ve been shopping and have bought some new reading books. They’re from the same publisher’s that I wrote about a little while ago in the articles:

How To End The Reading Book Struggle (And Engage Your Students In Reading Again) Part One

How To End The Reading Book Struggle (And Engage Your Students In Reading Again) Part Two

These books are fantastic as they follow a similar structure to the introduction of sounds that is in the Sounds-Write programme that I’m using.

I got some very beginning readers that introduce the individual sounds as well as some more books for the older struggling readers. Below you’ll find some pictures of these books, but if you’d like to take a more detailed look at what books they have, then visit their website: PhonicBooks.

I store the books on my book case with these cool shelves I got from Ikea

These books are fantastic for older struggling readers. Appropriate words are used but with engaging story lines and illustrations.

These books are for beginning readers.

Minus – Distraught student

Last Friday was not a great day. I headed out to my new students’ school, where I see the girl in PP first. Well when I arrived she was quite hysterical. I was walking back from the bathroom when I heard lots of crying and screaming and I wondered what was wrong with this student I could hear. Much to my dismay it was my student!

She didn’t want to come with me to the room, so the girl’s Mum walked with us to the room and helped us get set up. The Mum kept saying she had to leave and the poor little thing kept saying she didn’t feel well and had a pain in the tummy and wanted her Mum to stay. After about 10 minutes of this, the Mum left and we managed about 5 minutes of work, before she left the room and went in search of Mum.

I had said to the Mum that it’s okay if she stayed….so when I found the Mum I said that it was best if she stayed in the room as there is no point if the girl is getting upset. The girl settled down with Mum in the room, but because she had been so upset prior she didn’t fully settle in and kept checking to make sure Mum was there in the room.

I had a chat with Mum afterwards and said that I think she should stay in each session, which I think is great because the parent can see exactly what I do and then be better prepared to help with the consolidation at home. And that for the time being she should stay until the girl feels more comfortable.

I was also thinking about taking a few little stuffed toys next week to see if this helps her feel more comfortable as well. The books we’ll be reading have three main characters: Sam, Tam and Tim. So I thought I could name each teddy one of these names and they could help us during the sessions.

But, if you’ve got any other great ideas of how I can help the girl feel settled, then I’m all ears 🙂

Interesting – New tutoring room

I thought you might all be interested in viewing some photos of my home office. This is where I blog, tutor students and also complete art and craft with my little girl.

It was the old carport that the previous owners covered in. It is attached to the house, so we put in a doorway from the house into the room. A few months ago I spent a few weeks doing up the room to make it more suitable for tutoring students.

I really enjoy going to work in my little room now, and as it is on the side of the house it kind of feels like I do go to work :-). I have some before and after pictures below.

I didn’t have any good pictures of before shots of the room. But it wasn’t very nice and there was exposed brick which we had rendered.

In the midst of renovations, view to the back door

View to the front door and no more exposed brick work

With the floor in

And all finished and moved in

Student work desk and my computer in the back

Near the back door I store all of my posters on clothes hangers

View from the back door

I love this large storage unit. It was in the master bedroom, but a much better option for my office

I hope you enjoyed a little peek into my work space 🙂 Have a great week!

For More TnT Weekly Wrap’s, see these:

• TnT Weekly Wrap: Phonics Resources; and
• TnT Weekly Wrap: Uncommitted Parents.