sonyacurti

Ren,

That is so great to hear about your son Jared reading :)It's an
exciting thing for a mom to witness - it's such a joy !!

I was thinking that my son has just started to try to read.

My son Joey is 7 and has recently been asking what does this say
mom?? and that ?? What page are you reading now mom ?? This is
coming from a boy who in school didn't recognize letters.
Spontaneously he came to me the other day and said mom I know what H
& I spells it spells hi - he was watching the show called hi-five
LOL............Then the next day he was looking at a book that I
read to him the night before (a batman book). He was flipping the
pages and he got to a page where they say Ha Ha Ha Ha !!! So he read
(correctly) that part for me to hear. Then the other night we were
watching a show and this girl had a bikini bathing suite on with the
word RED SOX (one word on each breast)and for kicks and giggles I
asked him do you know what that says ??? And he answered RED
SOX !!!!!!!! I was shocked !!! I told my huband and my friend he's
starting to learn to read yeah !!!
My friend said that he recognized it because it was written in the
special letters that they always write RED SOX and he probably just
recognized it the way it was written and that he wasn't reading :(
My husband said I always watched the red sox with him that is why he
read it. They bursted my bubble !!!!

I asked my son how did you know that and said the same thing he
always does "I guessed it "
He tells me that for everything even when I know he figured a math
problem inside his head and gave me an answer. I think that is what
he says for when he figures something out.

Do you guys think that I am getting to excitied about him starting
to learn how to read ????

Sonya

v_malott

--- In [email protected], "sonyacurti"
<jcurtielectric@m...> wrote:
> My friend said that he recognized it because it was written in the
> special letters that they always write RED SOX and he probably just
> recognized it the way it was written and that he wasn't reading :(
> My husband said I always watched the red sox with him that is why
he read it. They bursted my bubble !!!!

And why is this NOT considered reading? Just because it may or may
not have figured it out phontically, does not mean he didn't use
reading skills we all use. What about sight words, those words that
can't be figured out with basic phonics? Reading is as much looking
at and remembering words as it is sounding them out. I hope this re-
inflates your bubble.

This is how my 7 yods learned how to read as well: by reading the
satellite titles for TV shows, the scores on ESPN, signs we passed
while in the car, baseball cards...things that mattered to HIM.

Do you guys think that I am getting to excitied about him starting
> to learn how to read ????

Yes, and that's great! It's so cool to see it 'click'!

Valerie in OH

zenmomma2kids

>>Do you guys think that I am getting to excitied about him starting
to learn how to read ????>>

It all counts!! Learning to read is not just phonics and sounding out
words. It's also sight words, patterns of letters, memorizing
favorite poems or stories and whatever works for your child.

He amazed you at this new step he has taken. Go ahead and be excited,
just don't make too big a deal of it in front of him. Sounds like
he's on his way to becoming a reader. It WILL happen. Let him take
whatever time he needs to get all the way there.

Life is good.
~Mary

[email protected]

In a message dated 11/14/03 7:18:54 PM, jcurtielectric@... writes:

<< Do you guys think that I am getting to excitied about him starting

to learn how to read ????

>>

Only if you're going to be disappointed if he stays at this level for a while.

Kirby took about seven years to learn to read, if we count from the time he
could identify letters to the time I could leave him a note saying "I went to
the store and will be back at 10:00."

Some people do it really quickly when they finally do (Holly) and some drag
it out gradually while they do other things that are more important to them.

Sandra

sonyacurti

Thanks for all your positive feedback to all of you
(Valerie, Mary and Sandra). Life is good ! I am excited and I should
be. I think part of it was because I was witnessing the whole
unschooling thing and that is exciting also. I think I was saying
pinch me is this real ?? Thanks Sandra for sharing your experience I
will be excitied because I know everything will be okay. I am
excitied to see things click for him on his on time table and not
the schools. I am so happy that I'm relaxed this year and decided
to try unschooling my eyes are open to so much more than I was a few
years ago - it's amazing how our perception can change.

Sonya from MA

plumaria_1

Ren, your post came at just the right time for me. THanks for the
story and the encouragement!

BTW, I would be curious to know of some of the adult beginning reading
books...can you share a few titles?

Lee Roversi

"Kirby took about seven years to learn to read, if we count from the time he
could identify letters to the time I could leave him a note saying "I went to
the store and will be back at 10:00."

Wow, I never really thought about it, but that is precisely what Bay's
process was like! At just 13 his only now actually coming into any kind of
real comfort with reading confidently and thoroughly. He was just too busy
mastering other things far more important to him - mostly in the physical
realm! Now, when he wanted to become certified in scuba diving, he picked
up the text and started in, including the chapter review questions -
multiple choice and short explanations. And, never took a test before,
either. And being the master of reminding me that education must be
relevant, he also never was much for math, either, until he wanted to bill
his clients on his landscape maintanence business or figure out the ration
of gas:oil for the mix on his dirtbike!

Well, I've rambled, but that was another Sandra gem I just had to comment
and babble on!

Love, Lee

NORTH COUNTRY FARMS
~an eco-tourism destination~
P.O. Box 723
Kilauea, Kauai, Hawaii 96754
808-828-1513phone & voice mail
808-828-0805fax
www.northcountryfarms.com

Tia Leschke

>
>Wow, I never really thought about it, but that is precisely what Bay's
>process was like! At just 13 his only now actually coming into any kind of
>real comfort with reading confidently and thoroughly.


This is Lars, only he was almost 16 before he was at that stage.

>He was just too busy
>mastering other things far more important to him - mostly in the physical
>realm!

Again just like Lars. He's always been a very physical kid.

>Now, when he wanted to become certified in scuba diving, he picked
>up the text and started in, including the chapter review questions -
>multiple choice and short explanations. And, never took a test before,
>either.

Lars just did the same thing getting his Learners Licence. He studied the
book and passed first try. A lot of his schooled friends had to take it
more than once. It was the first test he ever took. He had to get 80% to
pass and got 83%. He said he would have done better but it read the
questions to him (they take it on a computer) and he found himself reading
them as well. That got him confused on a couple of them until he got used
to it.
Tia

[email protected]

In a message dated 11/15/03 9:02:50 PM, ncfarms@... writes:

<< At just 13 his only now actually coming into any kind of
real comfort with reading confidently and thoroughly. He was just too busy
mastering other things far more important to him - mostly in the physical
realm! Now, when he wanted to become certified in scuba diving, he picked
up the text and started in, including the chapter review questions -
multiple choice and short explanations. >>

The first "hard" reading I saw Kirby do was a chapter with no illustrations
whatsoever in what is basicaly the textbook of the karate school he goes to.
It was translated from Japanese, NOT written fluidly, and he needed to take a
test (same deal as Bay's need) which would have questions about the founder of
the school.

Before that he had read game guides and Nintendo Power magazine, some little
choose your own adventure Mario books, but nothing specifically written for
adults which wasn't really colorful and flashy.

I was driving him to karate, he was ten, and he was sitting reading that
chapter in the car. I thought he would ask me a word or two, but he didn't.
After he was in class and I was alone in the car with the book, I read it and
though it wasn't easy reading, he had read it because he had an actual need to.

VERY interesting, and not something that people outside unschooling would
even want to hear or think about. The prevailing belief would probably say that
Kirby couldn't read that because he hadn't already proven to someone else in
advance that he could, and be certified with grades somehow to read it.
Stupid, I know, but just because millions of people believe something doesn't mean
it's not stupid. They've kinda taken "motheecause I didn't think I was
qualified to understand something. No physics without chemistry first. No
reading William Blake because when I studied English I didn't choose to study that
and so I don't have approved access and a proper introduction.

Someday I will be deschooled. <g> At least I've moved up to the college
level now to work on deconstructing the calcification formed then.

Sandra