Originally Posted by TwinkleToes
ha ha DeHe

Update: I just found out her reading buddy is a 4th grader, not a first grader, and my daughter apparently helps the older child with reading when it was suppose to be the other way around...

Do you know it's supposed to be the other way around?

I've been having good (but slow) luck with writing exceeding polite emails asking for clarification. My basic format is:

"Dear Mrs Kindergarten Teacher,

DD has been describing the reading buddy program to me over the last few weeks. She reports that [acknowledge that not all I hear from school is accurately reported] she's working with a 4th grader on reading. She has expressed frustration [or other emotion/effect] to me over the arrangement because she is helping this other child with reading more than the other way around. Can you clarify for me the goals of this program? [Maybe it really is to have the kindergarteners help the 4th graders.] DD has been disappointed that she cannot have a detailed discussion of the reading [or other complaint] as a result of the mis-matched nature of this pairing.

Thanks,

{my first name}"

Sometimes I throw in a statement about how I'm framing the situation positively for my child at home: "We've had a few conversations about DD's talents {e.g. reading} and things she must struggle to learn {riding a bike/handwriting/playing the flugelhorn}, to help view other children's struggles and talents more broadly."

I'm finding that emails like the above don't get a response for 2-3 days because the teacher is now scrambling to figure out what's happening. Then I get a response, and either the problem is fixed or we have an established tone of mutual respect from which to work on the problem together.

FWIW, our kindergarteners are paired with 4th grade buddies. They come in and work with the kids here and there, but mostly on non-academic things. The pairings were done nearly at random. If the same is that case in your situation - kids paired with 4th graders at random, it might have been a fluke that they paired a child with a reading disability with yours.

And yeah, add us to the pile of people getting handwriting and little else from kindergarten.