But I am so pleased with our Darlin’ Daughter (AKA Snolf the Second). A few days ago, I invited her to read a book with me, the deal being that we’d alternate reading pages. She very reluctantly agreed—not surprising, that, since she has been telling herself for quite some time that she can’t read.
Yes, her reading was slow and halting, with a lot of the drawn-out sounds characteristic of someone who is sounding out words. (Her cute, high voice doing this, with an invariably rising pitch at the end of each sound, sent me into fits of giggles, which did not help the situation. But, thankfully, she giggled too, rather than get mad at me.) I think she surprised herself by how well she was doing; the next day she hopped into my lap and asked when we would continue reading the story. And her reading was noticeably better than the first day.
We just finished today’s session, in which we started reading a different book. D.D. still sounds out a few words very slowly, and her overall pace is that of a beginning reader, but I do believe she can be called a “reader” now. A little bit of phonics work, and I think she’ll be soaring on her own!
I’m so thankful Lobo and I resisted our inclinations to try to push her on this. Yeah, she may be starting later than most kids, but some just seem to need more time to be ready to handle reading. Pushing will not help that, and will almost certainly hurt the child’s attitude and interest in learning how to read. Reading is far too critical a skill to risk like that, especially for the dubious aim of remaining on the educrats’ timetable.
Forgive Me for Bragging a Little
New World
And now, a whole new world will always be available to her, for her to explore at her leisure :-)
Many people around the globe would like to have that opportunity. There is no better gift.
Congratulations to DD. Like
Congratulations to DD.
Like you and Lobo, Annie and I resisted the temptation to push. Our youngest, now 12, did not start reading until she was 10. Now she reads all the time. When they are ready they will learn, when they want to do something there will be no stopping them.
You get some of the credit.
Jorge, I think you mentioned that to me; if not, your encouragement not to push the snolfs helped a lot. Thank you.
Shaun and Presto, you’re right: her horizons have been enormously expanded. And I’m looking forward to sharing some of your stories, Shaun, with both snolfs. :-D
Yup.
Sunni, I did mention it. I thought I posted about it a couple of years ago, but I can't find the entry. Did all the posts make it from the old system? It seems to me that a few of mine are missing, but I could be mistaken.
They’re here.
But for some weird reason, only the entries that I have edited, primarily to add tags, are searchable. Also, apparently the vast majority (if not all) of the entries got assigned to me, rather than to the appropriate conspirator, so I’ve been fixing that along the way as well.
Guess it’s way past time to get working on that project again, eh?
Wonderful
I can certainly verify the importance of not pushing. My oldest son loved to "read" the National Geographic from the time he was old enough to hold them. I would read them, explaining as best I could all of the fantastic pictures, and we had many happy hours that way. His wish was to be able to read it for himself, and visit all those places.
Unfortunately, home schooling never even occurred to me then and he was obediently sent off to "public skool" for first grade. (He didn't go to kindergarten, but that's another story.)
His desire to read ANYTHING was stamped out pretty much in that first year, and I never even noticed until he insisted he didn't want to look at the magazine anymore. So, I didn't push... but I also didn't do what was necessary to rescue the situation. I just didn't know then. :(
He's now 42 years old, still not reading much that I know of, and he's never even dreamed of going to any of those places. What a senseless tragedy.
That's Great News!
That's great news, Sunni. I think that the ability to read is one of the most important things that a kid can learn. It opens up so many more opportunities in life. Congratulations to you for cultivating the interest in her.