It has been like a light switch turned on...

We have been so fortunate that Cole was given an amazing kindergarten teacher this year, Ms. Kollodge. After his time spent at Montessori with the best staff, we feel very lucky to have made the transition to our public school system with continuing excellence. Cole LOVES school and everything about it, even his homework (yes, he has homework but it is only 5-10 minutes and is vital to reinforcing what he studied that day). I have had the privilege to volunteer for two hours each week in his classroom and I can say having worked with those students who are struggling that I support homework (even in kindergartner) 100%!

Cole is eager to share with me (most days) each afternoon what he learned or what they did. Since the fall, he mastered his kindergartner sight words and moved on to 1st grade ones; he was folded into an advanced math class in November and he now flies through concepts meant to be learned a year from now.

He has always enjoyed being read too, Dave and I each night got into a routine of reading upwards of three books to him for as long as we can remember and he actually gets upset should it be a late night or for some other reason, books are missed for an evening. We attempted to get him to read to us around the holidays this past year but he would push back and say he was tired or the like. He would pick out familiar words but putting sentences together was still a work in progress for him. Similar to his mom, until he feels confident doing something, he'd rather keep it under wraps. :-)

I'm not sure when but some switch was turned on for him in the past several weeks. Cole literally overnight went from reading his daily "Book in a Bag" hesitantly and with frequent pauses (as he sounded out words silently) to fluid and flowing with inflection and tone. I was wowed and watched his smile grow as he realized he was reading effortlessly. Every since that "switch" turned on, he has been a reading machine. Even unfamiliar words that I think he will need assistance with, he breezes through. Signs, TV banners/ads, newspaper headlines, cereal boxes...you name it, he reads it.

I have always loved books, I have stacks of them bedside and I've grappled with the thought that hard copy editions might be a rarity when his generation raises their own children. With digital technology replacing textbooks and a large percentage of the mediums that the reading public are utilizing now that certainly seems the trend. Hopefully Cole's bookshelves will always hold actual books but as long as he embraces reading and its life long importance to learning and growing no matter what his age, this mom will happy.

Reading His Daily Book in a Bag Homework Assignment from David Denham on Vimeo.