thisnewday

My grandson and I have been slacking off rather badly, as far as reading at home, for about the past month.  It started, I think, with the end of the "Book-It" program at school which required that he read a given number of minutes per month, beginning last October. The minutes per day were then recorded on a monthly report form which was then signed by the student and the responsible adult and turned in to the school.

Students who successfully completed the monthly quota, which increased incrementally over the course of the school year, were given a certificate for a personal-size pizza from Pizza Hut and were also recognized at the monthly 3rd grade award ceremony. And at the end of the program, students who had met the monthly goals for the entire year were given special  recognition. Which, I'm happy to say, we accomplished as well.

That's not to say that it was especially easy for either of us. I've remarked in the past how I was one of those "natural readers" when I was a kid and Jason and his father were not. Which meant that Jason often had to be prodded to do the reading and I was constantly looking for signs of some sort of epiphany whereby Jason would suddenly and miraculously come to appreciate the adventure of reading.

And I think it's fair to say that we've done more than just hope that this would happen. The most important investment I've made, especially over the past two years, is that of time. And based on my experience as a daily, part-time helper in his cassroom last year and an occasional one this year, it's the most important investment ANY parent or grandparent can make toward their children's success in school.

Now I appreciate that there are parents, grandparents, caregivers, with far less time at their disposal than I'm lucky enough to have. But to anyone who says they can't find 20 minutes a day to read with their kid, I'm gonna call bullsh!t. First of all, these kids are the reason that we do everything else that we do. And if you don't understand that, then you need to take a step back from your self-absorbed life and think again.

Smoke one less cigarette (C'mon, you know you stretch 'em out since they went up to $10 a pack.), turn off the TV for twenty minutes, do a few less reps in the gym. Have the kid read to you through the bathroom door while you've got that needle jammed in your arm. (I'll bet you think I said that for effect. Pffttt. Spend a day watching what walks into a city school if you think that.)

The point is that somewhere in your life you have that kind of time and, as a parent, it's up to you to find it for your kid.

Because his school has been identified by the state as one of many in need of improvement, there are actually quite a number of initiatives in place to help make that happen. But that's the state, working from the outside to try to help those on the inside who have to make it happen.

That would be you and me. Doing what we can. Maybe doing more than we think we can, because it's that important...

LPK
LiveJournal
6.11.2012