Many shut-down learner kids, have great trouble with different facets of language that we often take for granted.
Take Emma, age 8. The other night, Emma was told by her mother that her father was “tied up in traffic.” Emma burst into tears. “Why is daddy being tied up,” she sobbed.
It took her mother some time to explain to Emma that her father wasn’t literally being tied up and that it was an expression commonly used when people are stuck in traffic.
So many kids have difficulty with the subtle and not so subtle aspects of language. They can be easily overloaded with too many words hitting them with no place to store such words and language in their mental closet.
We use language very freely and quite often it is just washing over the kid’s head.
Is it any wonder that so many shut-down learner style kids appear distracted and zoned out in class?
So, if your child is not steering her boat or is wandering in the desert aimlessly or spinning her wheels in the mud, perhaps you need to back up and check out your language !!!!!
Perhaps you are using too many metaphors!