He’s a WOW student!

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He’s a WOW student!

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What makes a typical student a WOW student? Some would say a WOW student is exceptionally hard-working, dedicated, motivated, a joy to have in class, open to learning about new ideas, creative, kind, humorous, insightful, determined, confident, and the list goes on. A WOW student is student is proud of what they have accomplished. Well, I have just such a student, “S”, and he is currently in the 3rd grade, here at St. Paul Lutheran School in Westlake, Ohio.

When I first began working with “S” in the 1st grade, he had difficulty identifying and naming individual letters, recognizing words, and hearing rhymes, but mostly he lacked confidence. His teacher was concerned that he was not keeping up with the class; he was doing poorly on spelling tests, had great difficulty reading, and did not want to participate in group academic activities. In the 2nd grade, his teacher could see that he was making progress, and the one-on-one time was really helping to improve his phonics, spelling and reading skills, but he still was unsure and reluctant to participate in many group work activities. By the middle of the school year, however, things began to change. His confidence began to grow, he was willing to participate, and his grades were showing much improvement. His homeroom teacher and I were so very pleased with his progress. Now he is a 3rd grader and still receiving services. This is where the WOW becomes evident.

The 3rd class was reading their first chapter book of the year, The Mouse and the Motorcycle. “S” and another classmate came to read two chapters and answer several comprehension questions that they had missed due to illness. I was expecting they would want ME to read the chapters, but when I asked if either of them wanted to read, “S” immediately offered. He proceeded to read the entire chapter with minimal errors. When I suggested he stop to give the other student an opportunity to read, he boldly asked to be allowed to continue. He continued without hesitation and once again with minimal errors.  We proceeded with the comprehension questions, to which he was able to successfully answer and identify the exact spot in the text where the answer could be found. The smile and confidence on his face were priceless.

His homeroom teacher will often offer him assistance in the classroom to which he frequently replies, “No, I’ve got this,” or she may suggest that he can limit the number of questions he has to complete, again his response is, “I want to try to do them all.” He is determined to do his best, willing to attempt new or unfamiliar things, and is much more motivated to participate in group activities. He is confident, self-assured, and willing to approach new challenges head-on. “S” has grown so much: in stature, maturity, ability, pride, but most of all in SELF CONFIDENCE! He realizes that the extra effort he makes and help he has received these few years have afforded him the opportunity to begin catching up with his peers.