place to begin their education. I want
them to feel early success in reading which I am hoping will spill over into
their other subjects and into other areas of their lives.
In fact,
reinforcing a child’s view of himself in this context of success in reading can
instill in them that they are wonderful, smart, loved and more than good enough
to keep learning and doing the right thing in life. Success is a wonderful and
motivating feeling. It was my observation, that dropping out of school for any
child who has been a strong early reader with many interests is less likely to
drop out of school in high school. This timeless learning ability can be easily
taught, and be the catalyst for developing and supporting the whole child in a
very loving and stress free manner. Both of you will love this process!
Less than one third of elementary students
are proficient in reading by the end of the third grade. Forty percent of all
high school graduates are functionally illiterate. I just read that only 7% of
eighth graders in Detroit can read proficiently. A piece of research published
in Developmental Psychology in 1997 showed first grade reading ability was
closely linked to 11th grade academic achievement (WSJ 9-16-14.) Statistics
like this are in the news all of the time.
A child’s educational
future in all areas of study depends on his ability to read, and it is our
absolute responsibility as parents to be certain that our children can and will
read using these easy and playful methods. Allow me to teach YOU (parents and
grandparents) to teach your child to read at home. It will only take five
minutes a day which will be the most important FIVE minutes you can spend with
them at this stage of their lives. .
READING CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME
For many children, learning to read in a
school environment can be daunting, and maybe even impossible. There are many
diversions, distractions, and obstacles in a classroom and many programs simply
do not connect with your child. This was my experience as a child even though I
was labeled as gifted. The home is a child’s first classroom, and parents are
their first teachers. Home is the best place to start. A loving and attentive
parent or caregiver can happily incorporate my ideas in laying the groundwork
for a successful reading future. Reading is the number one challenge of a child
in the early years of his schooling, so give him this real head-start to his
future education.
Do not forfeit the education of your child
solely to the schools, TV, cable, computer programs, video games, DVDs, the
general culture, or any of the rest of present day media/high tech diversions.
Our society and culture inundate and distract our children with stimulation of
all sorts: far more than any other society in the history of the world. So you
have to get in there with your child with this fun work as early as possible.
The power of parenting determines a child’s
future...her self-confidence, her curiosity, her verbal ability, her
intelligence, her loving emotional health, and certainly her educational
future. The attentive mother or caregiver changes everything for the good as
she teaches these reading skills; speaking and reading to her and actively
showing her love and affection within the pages of Dr. Seuss or the thousands
of childrens’ books that are available now in so many formats. The future of
our country depends on MOTHERS…..WOW!!!
And as far as the pop culture invading your
home, I heard a speaker once say, “Don’t allow an alien culture to come into
your home with TV on 24/7, along with music and videos that do not promote your
view on life.” It is so easy and enticing to have the TV used as a baby sitter,
and sometimes in the early morning and late afternoon before dinner this is all
right, but please do not let this take over their lives. Look at the culture in
your own home. With what do you surround your child? Do you have
Aravind Adiga
Joanne Rocklin
Rebecca Crowley
Amit Chaudhuri
Paul Reiser
Ann Mayburn
Yasunari Kawabata
Rebecca Lorino Pond
Amy Lynn Green
Aimée and David Thurlo