Let Me Tell You a Story ...

Last week when I wrote about my youngest daughter Willa just beginning to learn to read, I mentioned my oldest daughter and her struggle to learn when she was in Kindergarten. Looking back at it, I suppose she didn't struggle much more than any other average 4- or 5-year old, but she also didn't "take off" the way most of her classmates did in the few years that followed.

In Grade 2, it was very difficult to get her to sit down to read to me, much less on her own. She hated the books her teacher sent home and the ones she chose from the library proved too difficult. It was discouraging for both of us. Then Grade 3 brought her an understanding teacher who introduced Neva to a collection of books the teacher thought would be good for her. The night Neva brought the first of the series home she was anxious, having taken a good three weeks to complete the last book she had read. But she went far beyond any of our expectations when she read the entire book in a two-hour sitting! She has since been devouring the rest of the series and has branched out into different authors and longer, more involved stories.

Although I love to read now, I wasn't an avid reader when I was young, other than during the summer months. (This has always surprised me since my parents and my older sisters were never without a novel on the nightstand!) So to see Neva beg to read "just one more chapter" before bed has me thrilled. It helps to remind me that, at her own pace, Willa too will become a good reader.

Happy sweeping!

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com