OMG… He’s reading…
To some of you it may not seem that big of a deal to see a 5 year old read a book but it was a very proud moment for me. Sterling has been read to almost every night since being born and he’s now in Kindergarten. His teacher has always said it is very evident that he is read to because he is very articulate and can carry on a mature conversation with adults.
I know they have new rules (at least in the San Jose school district) where children need to be able to read and write before they leave kindergarten. So the kindergarten curriculum focuses heavily on reading and writing. My son is in a reading program where he brings a different book home every week and then he writes a book report (albeit 1-2 sentences).
I have seen improvement in his reading abilities since starting kindergarten but it was most evident last night when I was putting him to bed. We pulled out the book from his reading program and Sterling insisted on reading parts of the book himself. Needless to say I was amazed. He wanted to alternate reading pages of his book so he would read a page and I would read a page. This particular book was quite lengthy on some of the pages and he needed very little help except with some of the bigger words that are still unfamiliar to him. I was so excited I had to call Richard in to hear him read and he did just as well with Richard there as he had been doing with me.
Sterling became very excited because I expressed my pride and excitement and dad gave him hi-fives. Oh my Gosh…my son is reading. It is just another step towards his independence which makes me a little sad and teary eyed. I love you Sterling and am so very proud of you.