Two Little Readers

During this school year, we had not one but two little readers working to earn points in the Accelerated Reader program at school.  And, Whew!, were they ever busy readers! 

The Second Little Nguyen receiving his award and ribbon from Mr. Baird.

 

Standing proud with that characteristic smirk!

For the Kindergarteners, the AR point goal was 2 per quarter and 8 total with 80%+ comprehension. The Second Little Nguyen, after years of watching his brother walk across the stage to receive his AR awards at school, finally got to shake Mr. Baird's hand and receive his own. Our little guy scored 33.4 points, earning him 2nd place among the Kindergarteners who participated! Everyone who has ever been a parent of an emergent reader knows it's a big deal when their child actually learns to read.  But learning to read the words is only part of that task.  They must also learn to comprehend what they read, grasping meaning through sequence of events, characters and relationships, and also by relating on a personal level to what is read.   For a child just learning to read when Kindergarten began, the Second Little Nguyen can not only read the books by himself, but he can now read the AR test questions and understand them on his own as well.  How's that for independent?!  Wow!  We're terribly proud of this sweet little boy who loves a story so much that he was caught reading more than once with a flashlight under his quilt after lights out. Rather than fight that battle, we decided he needed his own bedside reading light, and he was tickled to get one just like his big brother.

An old pro by now...

Receiving his "Top Reader" medal from Mr. Baird.  Think Olympic Gold Medal in Reading!



Zoning while posing with his "100-Point Club" poster

For the 3rd graders, the goal was 8 points per quarter and 32 total with 80%+ comprehension. I know...personally, I thought it was a ridiculously low expectation, but the kids do have a lot of other studying to do, so it's important to take that into account. The First Little Nguyen set a personal goal of 100 points at the beginning of the school year. As the year progressed, he had to continue to set new goals for himself as he continually surpassed goal after goal after goal. And, get this...are you sitting down? He earned 315 points, claiming the spot of 1st place reader in 3rd grade! I think the turning point in the year was when his fascination with all things Harry Potter began. In late February/early March, he brought home the fourth book in the series (without having read the first, second, and third) and asked if he could read it.  You know the orderly, sequential freak in me advised against that!  I should know by now that it is typical Benjamin fashion to approach things in his own unconventional way.  Having not read the Harry Potter series myself, and now facing the reality that I cannot preview every book my oldest child reads because I can no longer keep up with him, I checked my parental go-to website, CommonSenseMedia.org, and gave him the green light.  I figured he would learn his lesson, not reading the books in order, and his comprehension would take a dive as a result. But, it didn't.  90's, baby!  He read the other six within 2.5 months and is now completely obsessed with all things Harry Potter and has already decided he will be dressing up in a Hogwart's robe for Halloween. This was one proud little man crossing the stage this year, and he was so happy to have also earned a spot in the "100-Point Club". The Media Specialist invited students who earn 100 points or more to have their photograph taken with their favorite book, and the First Little Nguyen chose Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  She then took the photos and blew them up to create really neat color posters!  For Benjamin, receiving the poster was the highlight of the whole assembly.



Showing off their awards to some very special guests.

 

A proud smile

There were even a few special guests in attendance at the assembly!  Ong and Ba were  visiting from Connecticut, as well as Uncle Thien from California, and the Little Nguyens were so proud to be able to share their accomplishments with them.  Being so far away, our family doesn't often get to attend assemblies and ceremonies and soccer games and swim meets, so it was especially meaningful to have them here.  The Little Nguyens were beaming with pride!



Benjamin, Thomas, Ong and Ba

 

And with Uncle Thien

One proud Mommy!

As a teacher myself,  I certainly appreciate how much time and work it takes for strong readers to develop, and I do love to recognize hard work.  I'm always proud of my kids, even when they don't score 100% or the most points.  But I am absolutely swelling with joy knowing that they love to read and that, especially in the First Little Nguyen's case, that he enjoys getting lost in a good book or a great series.  There is a life lesson in this tale...an important one:  you may not have a lot of money in life to buy entertainment, but learning to enjoy the privileges of owning a library card is a pleasure money can't buy.  The points and percentages make me proud, yes.  But finding my Little Nguyens wrapped up in a good read while eating a bowl of cereal, or in the middle of the afternoon, or after lights out tells the whole story:  the love of reading cannot be scored.