Media Invite
Remember when I last blogged about Jayne’s journey of learning phonics at Jan & Elly English School? Well, she’s ended her classes at Jan & Elly, and to wrap up her experience and learning journey, watch the following video clip and judge for yourself:
Just a few months ago, I was worried and concerned because Jayne wasn’t able to read even simple sentences. On top of that, she wasn’t showing any interest in books at all. I recalled Joey showing huge interest in books when she was 5 years old, and without any coaching, she was already able to read difficult books and novels by the time she was 6. I wasn’t at all concerned about Joey entering Primary School because she was at least steady and good at reading English. For Jayne’s case, she is merely half a year away from starting Primary School and her interest and competency level in reading was not there.
Attending classes at Jan & Elly helped her in several areas, and here are my top 3 reasons why I think that Jan & Elly English School has helped my girl:
1. Her interest in reading was heightened.
The classes at Jan & Elly were always interesting and fun. I stood outside the class and observed a few lessons before, and the teacher was always interesting and engaging. The children would recap previous lessons and learn new phonics sounds by playing little games and activities. Jayne, being a very participative student usually, learnt a lot during the classes. I noticed that she started picking up books on her own at home and started flipping through them, even though she may not be able to read everything. That, to me, is a very good start.
2. She picked up proper techniques in phonics and learnt how to use them.
It can get very discouraging and frustrating when a kid opens up a book and struggles to read every single word. That was probably why Jayne was not interested in reading at all before starting her classes at Jan & Elly. At the classes, she would learn a few phonics sounds each time, and she would come back home and tell me all about it. She also started to use phonics techniques to attempt to read certain words in her storybooks. She may not get it right all the time, and even if she does, she may not understand the meaning of the words, but that is how every one get started on reading. At the very least, she doesn’t give up and just close a book when it’s full of words she cannot pronounce anymore. As a mum watching her by the side, trying to pronounce the words, makes me feel very encouraged.
3. Her confidence grew.
It used to be that Jayne would feel a little discouraged because she kept thinking that she was the only one who couldn’t read. There are other students in her kindergarten who are more advanced in their reading skills and they could already read books she couldn’t. Getting enrolled into a Jan & Elly class, she was among others of her same age who are learning how to read and pronounce as well. That made her realise that she was not the only one, and she had fun learning together with her peers. To me, a confident child is way more important than a capable child. At the end of the day, confidence can help bring capability, but the converse may not be true.
After 3 months of weekly lessons at Jan & Elly, Jayne has progressed from a child who had no interest in reading and struggled to recognize and pronounce words, to one who can read not just words, but long sentences as well. Because she could now read better, she enjoyed reading more because she could understand the storylines now. It’s made her a happier child and me, a happier mum. :)
If you are interested to find out more about what’s available at Jan & Elly English School, check out their website. Thank you Jan & Elly English School for helping Jayne to pick up reading and phonics techniques, and for preparing her for her Primary One education in advance. :)
Disclosure: The J Babies was sponsored 10 classes at Jan & Elly English School, for the purpose of this review. No other financial compensation was received and all photographs and opinions in this post are solely mine.
