Memorizing

Hello from rainy California! One day it's sunny and warm, the next it's cold and raining! California really has only two seasons, hot and wet. That's it.

Today is Tuesday, although all day it felt like another dreaded Monday. I picked up a new Fluffy book..you all know I love that guinea pig! He's such a little smart mouth critter and I "heart" him! Emmie enjoys him too..bonus! You know, not all children's literature is created equal. Some days, she'll bring me a book to read and I dread it. It will be a book she enjoys, but it's blah to read. Other days, she'll come down the stairs with a gem of a story and I have to admit..I get a little giddy!

Today, I showed her teacher a Jan Brett poster that the wonderful author and illustrated autographed for our upcoming PTA silent auction. She read a few Jan Brett books to the class to get them excited about the auction. Mrs. Brett has a way with words, but her art is breathtaking. She really thinks of EVERY detail and her stories jump off the pages! Her teacher also enjoyed a wordless book from another fabulous illustration, Robin Glasser. The art in a book is very important to me. It helps tell a story all on it's own!

Today wasn't all peachy. I was annoyed this afternoon. A volunteer reads with the kids in the classroom for testing purposes. She told me today that Emmie did a good job reading with her and she knew all the "big" words. She also said that she reads it to Emmie a few times, then reads it together before Emmie reads it on her own. I was nice, which if you know me, you KNOW it's hard sometimes. But, I was annoyed. Emmie 101...she doesn't LEARN the words, she MEMORIZES the words. I have told her teacher this and her "Team" is aware. She is a smart cookie. If you read it to her the first time, she makes a mental note of the "hard" words. The words she thinks she isn't going to be able to pronounce. The more you read it to her or "with" her, the more she is able to memorize the word. So, when it's time for her to read it..usually, it's smooth as butta' (usually, there are times where she is still not able to memorize the word and stumbles through it). Some people think..well, at least she knew the word, who cares? NO!!!!! She still doesn't "know" the word. Because tomorrow, if you give her the same story she isn't going to know the word. She needs to LEARN the sounds that word makes, the sounds you have to put together to make that word. Often, if she reads it a second time the word because another word in her memory that begins or ends with the same letter or letter sound..or sometimes it becomes something completely different. Tonight, the word, "rule" became "glue" when she read it. Memorizing the word is not what my daughter needs and I'm frustrated that despite my attempts to explain this to people, teaching her is STILL not being done properly!!!!!

Jumping off the soapbox. Expect new photos soon...as soon as my Ark is built!