So, I’m a teacher…or I was one before I had kids. (Does that still count?)
I taught first grade. One of my main responsibilities was to teach kids to read. After years of worrying about her development and the effects of her gestational difficulties and prematurity, S has blown me away…
I’m in awe. Shocked. Stunned.
She’s a month away from being 3.5 years old and my kid is beginning to read!!
2 weeks ago it was 7 words (which they tested at her “HIGHLY academic” preschool).
Today she’s up to about 20. Including all of our names and her color words (except brown).
While this is cool and amazing, it has also sparked a “what the heck do I do with this?” panic in her former-teacher-turned-mother!
I KNOW how schools operate. I know that my “going to be reading chapter books by kindergarten” kid is going to be so so so bored in kindergarten. And while I struggled originally to ensure that she was placed in a school that would accommodate her quirkiness, now I need to find her a place where she will continued to grow and be challenged (so she doesn’t end up being an intelligent slacker- like me!)
I should probably also mention that outside of the flashcards I made/bought her…I am not supplementing at home at this point. She takes those cards everywhere and loves to show off her new skills. She is excited about learning. All of this is from her school. I don’t like the academic focus, but she continues to thrive socially and intellectually and is happy.
But how do I, or how can I possibly sustain this momentum when it starts so early?
I have some researching to do. And money to save for private school. Apparently.
Edited: Since I do sound a bit like a stage mom, let me tell you that she was watching a movie and had a fever during this filming and I was trying to keep her on task. Notice that she can read words upside down as well…crapity crap!! :)
1 comment:
Having been there with Adam (who's now five and in senior kindergarten), my biggest piece of advice is to work with her teacher as much as possible once she starts school. Adam won't be on an IEP until grade 1, but his teacher has offered all kinds of extension activities so that he's not bored to tears in the meantime.
It's definitely posed some challenges at times (when Adam was three, he walked by a movie poster and sounded out "Zack and Miri Make a P**no" and then wanted to know what that meant -- eek!) but it's super helpful that he can read books to his little sister and help watch for street signs and exits while travelling.
Post a Comment