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re: bystander denial of reading

Every time we go to the library DS3 reads something or other off a wall or book and it's all within earshot of the librarians. It's amazing to me that these 2 children's librarians, who know us well enough to have long conversations, nonetheless are really blind to noticing his literacy -- the very thing they are all about. Even when from the audience he reads words out of a book they are reading to the story hour kids, they just respond similarly to the person above: without pausing, "oh so you have this book at home!". Blows me away how boxed in they are by their expectations of normal.

Denial of reading ability is such a neat phenomenon... kind of analgous to a Piaget developmental stage or something... only this one is for adults, the definition would be: "a stage passed into right after open-mindedness ends". It's so common it should have a name -- could be called the "denial of ability phenomenon". Which can be shortened to DOAP. "What a doap", one could exclaim.

Polly

I love it Polly!!!

We've seen this too! I wonder what this says about the person who doesn't notice. Inflexible thinking? Insecurity?

I had a day full of DOAP-y comments yesterday! Nothing as dramatic as denying a child was reading, but still pretty funny. Things like:

- Way over-estimating her age, even though she's only 15th percentile in size.

- Remarking that "Girls develop so much faster than boys, don't they?" when my 2 year old is acting just like their 3.5 year old.

The rule seems to be, attribute the behavior to anything except advanced ability.

just adorable!

Thanks.

My 12 year old twice exceptional son who was diagnosed with motor dyspraxia and also has low muscle tone and endurance issues and wears a scoliosis brace and gets frequent migraines, finished his last performance as Mr. Mayor in Seussical the Musical yesterday. His timing was excellent, he performed with confidence, he sang all of his solos really well, he stayed in character and handled it well when there was a problem with the music starting early without allowing time for him to say his lines. One of the other actor's moms, a teacher, said he was good the last show they did, but he has improved even more.

During rehearsals, he was one of the first to know all of his lines and songs and the director thanked him for being "consistent" and always doing his part well. He has incredible focus and maturity and has somehow learned to pace himself and rest in between scenes so that he has the energy to do his part well. He wore his scoliosis brace for all rehearsals except the last one and was able to tune out the fact that he was uncomfortable and had pain in his feet.

He is the only kid in the group with a disability and he is doing as well or better than kids without disabilities.
I liked the scene in the play when Mr. and Mrs. Mayor send their son to a military camp where the general points out the kid who hummed in the shower, the kid who couldn't color in the lines, and the one who had an opinion. My child had all of these "problems" and our public school reminds me of the Seussical's military academy.

What a trooper! Way to see it through. He's been working on that for a while now, hasn't he? I'm glad to see the production was a smash hit! Hope you got lots of pictures.

Wyatt strikes again. �I told Wyatt I don't know what the baby in the belly's name is. (don't know the gender) �"Almendarez", He said, "Let me see." �He lifted my night gown and whispered into my belly-button, "You stay there baby, the doctor will get you out."
He's almost three. �I told him earlier that the doctor will get the baby out of my belly, but he figured out on his own that baby's name will be the same as ours.

We got word today that Mr W (2y6mos) will start Pre-K in 3 weeks at his Montessori School. The school director suggested it to us. ( We were going to advocate it for him, but wanted him to be fully potty trained. ) He has a blast with the much older kids when he is waiting for us to pick him up most evenings.