July 26th, 2007 by The Bosphorus
We met October’s fourth grade teacher tonight at the Willow Brook orientation. We met spotz’ first grade teacher this past Tuesday evening. I haven’t met Lug’s teacher at the Oak Ridge Preschool yet, but the Missus has. I think it’s going to be a good year the bunch of us. Things are getting off to a good start. Honestly I find it hard to believe that October is beginning her last year at the Elementary school, but not to worry. We’ll be going to that school for a long time, what with four kids.
I was talking to the Missus the other day about what October reads. I was saying that I don’t see her read very much unless it’s Harry Potter. I was slightly concerned because she read and enjoyed that series so much, but I wasn’t seeing it carry over to other books. I’ve brought home several books for the girl, but she’s the proverbial horse led to water and didn’t really read them. I work in a library where I make many different reading suggestions, so I don’t care if people take or leave my advice. That’s not the point. I just want to see her reading something. The Missus assured me that she reads a great deal at school.
I was prowling through her desk tonight at the orientation when I found a copy of a Laura Ingalls Wilder book she’d checked out from the school library. Turns out the Missus was right and I’ve realized how much October has a life of her own that I don’t know about. Sure I “knew” that before, but seeing is believing and I’m typically a doubting Thomas. Which is really another post for another day.
July 26th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
My lovely and talented daughter grew up with Harry Potter and read little else that wasn’t required for school. She has read some of the books seven or eight times over. Of course I wished she would read something else every now and then.
Next month, she’ll start college as a National Merit scholar ($42,000 in scholarships) with over a year of college credit from AP exams and summer college credit.
Take-home message? There are worse things, IMO, than reading Harry Potter. Relax.
July 26th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Indeed– H. Potter is excellent. As it turns out she reads quite a bit more than H.P.
Yep, this is a post about me relaxing. Sometimes it takes me seeing a book in a desk to make it happen.
July 26th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Bos, I love kids lit, and I have a girl who was a reluctant reader unless she had just the right books, too.
For October’s age group Try:
Judy Blume - Fudge, SuperFudge, Fudge-mania.
the Judy Moody series, Junie B. Jones series, Wayside School series by Louis Sacher,
of course all Laura Ingalls Wilder, anything by Beverly Cleary, especially the Ramona books, anything by Betsy Byars.
A trick that worked wonders for us when Bratface (13 almost 14) was her age was to roll back bedtime by a half hour. Then say that she can stay up til 9 (or whatever) if she is wants to read in bed, otherwise it’s lights out at 8:30. Guess who almost always ended up asking for ‘just 5 more minutes to finish this chapter’ at 9 p.m., and now reads on her own without provocation?
July 26th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
Another thing I did when all of my kids were younger, (the boys are 20 and 17 now) was to sit on the floor between their two rooms and read wordier “chapter” books, that they probably couldn’t/wouldn’t read on their own, out loud for that half-hour on some nights. Just yesterday my middle son told me that he has fond memories of Ms. Piggle-Wiggle, the Giving Tree, and Shel Silverstein directly because of this.
July 26th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
You forgot the lesson Wingnut taught you a few months ago (somewhere between the refrigerator and the washing machine)?
July 27th, 2007 at 7:58 am
we can’t get kay to settle down with a series and she completely turned her nose up at harry potter. (fear of commitment? i dunno.)she reads anything you hand her unless it’s a series. however, she finally picked up the narnia books this summer but sat the 3rd one down when school started and she again has access to the school library full of new choices. oh well, at least they are reading, huh.
July 27th, 2007 at 8:36 am
I got the point, Bos.
July 27th, 2007 at 9:36 am
I remember each of the three moments (kids are 23, 20, 16) that I discovered “proof” that my kids had stuff in their life I didn’t know about. Its an odd mixture of fear and accomplishment you feel. I trusted myself and them, but maybe not the world? I was maybe the opposite of you…that is when I stopped relaxing.
July 27th, 2007 at 11:01 am
D’oh. I am a little slow sometimes. Sorry, Bos.
July 27th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Vixen, I don’t have control over it, so I try not to worry. Sometimes I’m more relaxed than other times.
I’m slow too, Bluebell. :)
July 27th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Dang, I feel like my kiddo had a life of her own from the get-go.
Of course, Monkey didn’t know she was a baby. She thought she was just a really short college student, who was denyed pizza for no good reason.