Learning

At kindergarten she loved
counting, making patterns
with blocks. loved hearing
books being read aloud.

Her first year at school she
still enjoyed counting, making
patterns, putting counters together
using maths words as she did so.
they gave her little books, told
her to read the black squiggles
beside the pictures. Eventually
she managed it, by now the
other children were doing well.
She was told to write letters
and words, it took her a
while to work that out.

Next year maths became hard.
She had to put cards with symbols
numbers, under counters, write
symbols, numbers, right way around.
She went to a special group for
a while, her reading improved.

In her third year a special reading
group improved her reading, writing.
spelling. But maths became yet harder
with new symbols,  and processes.
she was embarrassed, baffled, nervous
bewildered, scared, told no one, while
the other children learned it all well.

On the school’s open maths morning
her family’s adults came along, the
family teacher recognised her fears.

Now three days a week she has her
own maths homework, she considers
it a doubtful pleasure, but she is
learning to do more maths.