When a Child Repeats Grade 1: A Teacher Explains Who Has Actually Failed
In late May, I sat at a kidney-shaped table with Maya’s mother, the principal, and the reading specialist. Maya’s folder was open between us. She had written her name with a backward M, knew fourteen letters, and could count to twenty as long as she didn’t have to cross the teens. During reading group, she often slid her chair back until she was almost under the table. The principal said, “Another year of first grade would give her the gift of time.” Maya’s mother looked at the folder, then at me. “Is this my fault?” Nobody answered right away. The air conditioner clicked on.
I had taught Maya that year. She came in late some mornings, sometimes with a granola bar, sometimes not. She could build a tower of blocks and tell you exactly how many more she needed to make ten. She could explain why the playground slide was wet.
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