I used to be one of those tired and busy (did I mention how exhausted I was) parents who’d say things like ‘they go to school to learn’ and ‘where am I supposed to find the time for their homework’. I was a working single parent and when I arrived home at 6pm I was in a race to cook, shower and get the kids to bed – homework took a backseat.
And teaching kids to read is FRUSTRATING!!! How is it they can (eventually) work out a word on the left-hand page, but then not recognize the same word on the right-hand page, even if you point to the left-hand word as a hint? I always wanted to be a teacher but homework reading has taught me I wouldn’t be any good at it – I’d be in jail for assault by the end of the first week. Can’t hit the kids (apparently…) so I end up smacking myself in the forehead.
With Tracey it’s a bit different. With both of us home we can divide and conquer. Tracey took Miss7’s reading into her own hands, talking to Miss7’s teacher and requesting three books a night. In two months Miss7 has rocketed to a reading level 11 and, as you can see from the picture above, is pretty damn happy with herself.
Makes the extra work all worth it.
