Identifying a Struggling Reader

The theme of the section entitled “So Who Is a Struggling Reader?” deals with the recognition of a student who is struggling in the classroom.  Most teachers generally assumed that a struggling reader takes the form of a student who seems distracted and disinterested in what is going on in the classroom.  The body language is described as being turned away from the front of the room, with heads down or arms crossed.  However, the struggling reader can come in many forms, such as the popular kid in class or the new foreign exchange student who has the language barrier keeping her from attaining academic success. Beers asserts that, “we cannot make the struggling reader fit one mold or expect one pattern to suffice for all students” (Beers 14). Furthermore, this formulates the idea in the minds of new age teachers about how to reach their students from a different perspective if they recognize them to be a struggling reader.

            I felt that this part of the text directly related to me because I was able to glean a different perspective of who the struggling reader is. I often made the mistake of focusing mainly on the struggling students were the troublemakers of the class, attempting to throw off the focus of the other students in the classroom.  I understand that there are some students that are overlooked because they fit the stereotypical mold of being a model student in the eyes of the teacher and his/her peers.  I can now recognize the need to not only assess the body language of the student but to also pay attention to the quality of his/her work in order to ensure that every child receives the proper attention, regardless of their physical disposition.

Works Cited

Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can't Read, What Teachers Can Do:  A Guide for Teachers, 6-12. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2003. Print.