Why I'm So Happy About School (Even Though We Are Behind)

Last spring, after deciding that we had hit a wall in reading instruction and the things that were formerly working---weren't anymore, I made a change. I sent out an e-mail to our homeschool group to borrow "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." A dear mom of 8 responded. We went and picked up the book at her house and started the next day.

I felt very honored to use this book. She taught all 8 of her children, 1 of whom is married and 2 of whom are in college, to read. At the top of every lesson are her children's initials and the date they did that lesson. Little Bit already had a good literacy base before starting this book. She wasn't a 4 year old doing these lessons and so we found the book easy to fly through.

Last week found us on lesson 86. (We took the summer off.) The stories were getting longer and a bit more frustrating. I looked ahead and noticed there wasn't a whole lot more learning to happen in the remaining dozen+ lessons. Sure, some more sounds were introduced, but I can introduce those anytime. I asked Little Bit, "Are you ready to be done with this book?"

Of course the answer was yes! So I grabbed the first "reader" from her Sonlight package and handed it to her.

Buh-bye old reading book! (The cover probably fell off 4 or 5 kids ago!)

And she started reading with NO problem. Sure, I'm there to assist her. But I can honestly say...I HAVE ANOTHER READER IN THIS HOUSE!!!

I've seen enough kids learn to read and I can tell she is just at that point where all she'll do from here on out is get better at it. I love this point of reading.

Hello REAL book!!!

And that is why I am so happy with school, even though I am slowly realizing we will never finish all our subjects by May this year. It's all good. The kids are learning!!

**By the way, Little Bit is 8. I share that to encourage some other homeschool  moms. I was a teacher for 11 years and a Reading Specialist for most of those years and here is my kid--reading at age 8. I determined long ago not to push it with her and not to worry about "when" it happened. She has a very positive view of reading that I absolutely know she would not have if I had pushed her to read at the "right" age. Every child is different. Don't stress!