Grandchildren hold special places in our hearts. The only thing I find golden in "The Golden Years" is my grandchildren. As Grandparents, I truly believe we should take on the responsibility of helping to support, model, and teach our grandchildren how to read.
I retired after 39 years of educating children in grades one through eight. I also served in the roles as a reading specialist and a trained Reading Recovery Teacher. I often reflect back on my students, especially the ones who experienced difficulty learning to read in school. Many of the struggling readers did not have good reading role models at home for various reasons: from parents who struggled themselves with reading to parents who worked several jobs and didn't make the time to read with their children.
In my role as a Grandparent, I have become my Grandchildren's Reading Advocate. It is my mission in life to make sure my grandchildren have the opportunity to become fluent readers with a "toolbox" filled with reading behaviors and strategies.
My oldest granddaughter loves books. When we visit, she wants to sit on my lap and listen to books of her choosing from her special book bag. She will enter kindergarten next year, I plan to volunteer in her classroom. Not only do I want to assist the teacher with whatever task she assigns, but and the big but, I want to observe my granddaughter in an educational setting. I want to discover her strengths and needs so that I can reinforce and supplement.
My youngest granddaughter, 26 months, is fascinated by the alphabet. She sings the song from memory, can make the letter o and tell you it's an o, wants me to write a, b, and c when we color together, and best of all she loves books.
My youngest grandson, our youngest grandchild, has not sat long enough to get through a book, although we try. I hang my head low because I have yet to make him a special book bag.
In writing this blog, I want to tell my adventure in supporting them in learning how to read. Along the way, I hope to give my readers tips and information for helping young children to become successful readers.
I retired after 39 years of educating children in grades one through eight. I also served in the roles as a reading specialist and a trained Reading Recovery Teacher. I often reflect back on my students, especially the ones who experienced difficulty learning to read in school. Many of the struggling readers did not have good reading role models at home for various reasons: from parents who struggled themselves with reading to parents who worked several jobs and didn't make the time to read with their children.
In my role as a Grandparent, I have become my Grandchildren's Reading Advocate. It is my mission in life to make sure my grandchildren have the opportunity to become fluent readers with a "toolbox" filled with reading behaviors and strategies.
My oldest granddaughter loves books. When we visit, she wants to sit on my lap and listen to books of her choosing from her special book bag. She will enter kindergarten next year, I plan to volunteer in her classroom. Not only do I want to assist the teacher with whatever task she assigns, but and the big but, I want to observe my granddaughter in an educational setting. I want to discover her strengths and needs so that I can reinforce and supplement.
My youngest granddaughter, 26 months, is fascinated by the alphabet. She sings the song from memory, can make the letter o and tell you it's an o, wants me to write a, b, and c when we color together, and best of all she loves books.
My youngest grandson, our youngest grandchild, has not sat long enough to get through a book, although we try. I hang my head low because I have yet to make him a special book bag.
In writing this blog, I want to tell my adventure in supporting them in learning how to read. Along the way, I hope to give my readers tips and information for helping young children to become successful readers.
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