School is back in session, and so my 6-year old just started the first grade a couple of weeks ago. And I’ve got to tell you – the homework isn’t at all how I remember it! Lots of math and logic problems early out of the gate, which isn’t too bad but the way the questions are worded sometimes, they not only trip up my kid but also my husband who’s supposed to be helping with the homework. Basically, my husband checks over my son’s answers, and then I have to check over my husband’s checking.
I’m almost afraid to see what second grade is gonna be like.
But even the homework is a walk in the park compared to the reading lessons I’ve been giving my child daily for a couple of years now. Ever try to teach a young kid how to read? It’s rather tricky! Here’s a list of 13 reasons teaching a kid to read is a challenge:
- Read (present tense) and read (past tense) are spelled exactly the same but sound different
- “bear”, “bare”, “hair” all rhyme, but “hear”, “hare”, and “hair” don’t
- “snow” and “know” rhyme but neither rhyme with “now”
- “where” and “there”, sound alike, but “here” doesn’t sound like them
- There’s a trick to learning when a word is using long vs short vowel sounds
- Trying to teach a kid to sound out words, when sometimes a letter doesn’t make a sound. Silent ‘e’. And silent ‘k’. Silent ‘c’ when next to ‘k’. Silent ‘g’ when next to ‘h’
- The seemingly random interchangeability of ‘c’ and ‘s’ and ‘f’ and ‘ph’ (why IS it cellphone instead sellfone?)
- Does the letter ‘k’ really have a use in our language? It’s silent in “know” and “knee”, does nothing but reinforce the sound ‘c’ is already making in words like back and heck, and could be replaced by ‘c’ in almost every other instance
- I, eye, aye and the letter ‘i’ all sound exactly the same but mean very different things
- Be, bee, the letter ‘b’
- See, sea, and the letter ‘c’
- Pea, pee, the letter ‘p’
- There’s no ‘w’ in the word ‘one’ even though it sounds like there should be. But there IS a ‘w’ in the word ‘two’ even though it sounds like there shouldn’t be.
It’s almost amazing that anybody ever masters the English language!
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These are really good! The language is an amazing mishmash of rules.
"mishmash" is a good word to choose
Yep, it is a confusing mess. It is a wonder any of us learned to read.
Sure is.
I was thinking about this last night when my kid had to spell the word "eight" and understand the correct uses for a hyphen.
How the hell did English get so complicated?
Yes, "eight" is a tricky one. And I'm not even going to think about the hyphen issue just yet.
*sighs*
English isn't the easiest language, is it? We can't do without a kiwi
Agreed – the kiwi must stay!
All very good points. They say English is the hardest language to master. Be msot people manage, don't we?
True, we do manage.
Mostly.
Great TT! I did some of my college practicums in the lower grades, so I know what you mean!
*hugs*
Paige
My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/
See! You understand
These are some of the things I can share with my students even though they're at higher levels of learning foreign language. It's still fun to see them puzzle over pronunciation – and then try to challenge me about it.
LOL!
Happy TT!
Heh, I can so see them trying to challenge you about the pronunciation. I feel bad for them – english establish all of these rules only to break them …
Wait until you get to fifth grade and they start statistical analysis. Even with stats in my background that threw me for a loop.
Yikes!
I've had this same conversation with my German landlord. English is goofy!
Yes siree it is
Hey, without the letter "K" we wouldn't have kites or kilts or kiwi. Great post!
Heh, true. I forgot about those words, didn't I.
"Basically, my husband checks over my son’s answers, and then I have to check over my husband’s checking."
- Oh you are soooooo divorced over this one.
You snitch!!
Hush it, you!
yup. lucky for me Munchkin mostly taught herself. I mean, we worked on it, we did stuff to help, but she mostly just decided one day that she was tired of having to wait for Mommy or Daddy to be done with what they were doing to read a story. So she learned. We still work on tricky stuff – heck. _I_ still work on tricky stuff.
What a smart young lady!
Heh yeah, many of us adults are still working on the tricky stuff – there sure is plenty of it.
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