Aha! Moment

My job is to teach kids. I actually specialize in teaching young children to read. Helping children become literate has been the focus of my career for the last ten years. You can imagine my frustration with my inability to help Jackson learn to read.

The past 3 days, I've been in some teacher training. Today, (for the fifth or sixth time) the leader reminded us how closely oral language is tied to literacy. Yeah, I'm thinking, I get that. I frequently work with English as a new language students and it totally makes sense with them. For the first time today, it hit me. Jackson oral language is delayed. He's just starting to make sense of print. He's always liked books and enjoyed listening to them, but he's just starting to take notice of print.

You can imagine how freeing this was for me; encouraging at the same time. I am certain that Jax will gain literacy as his language continues to develop.

Hope survives...

Arthur Live!

Can you tell me why on earth, they would be advertising for this show [which is in February] 3 months in advance? Jackson is obsessed with seeing this show. He goes to the website and every time he sees the promo for it, he has a mini-meltdown. I've shown him February on the calendar, but it's way too abstract.

Maybe I'll see where else it'll be playing in the near future...

Chuck Taylor's

Dan intended to take Jackson to Science Central today. Jax wanted to take several of his stuffed toys with him; usually he packs these in a sling back-pack, but today they couldn't find it (hmmm....)

Problem Solved: stop at the store to buy another sling back-pack....

Detoured instead to the shoe department (can you see where this is going?) Jackson evidently knew exactly what he wanted because he headed straight for the Chuck Taylor's, put them on and began to march around the shoe aisle "march, march, march, march". Just like he watches 'Jack' do on 'Jack's Big Music Show'.

Do I really need to tell you that he is now the proud owner (wearer) of a pair of shoes similar to the one pictured above? Maybe (hesitation so great here), just maybe, he'll learn to tie his shoes! [This is a life skill, I have intentionally avoided: check in your closet: how many pairs of your shoes do you actually tie?]

Never a dull moment!

Lazy Morning

Jackson is having a fabulous time this morning watching Sesame Street and Super Why on PBS. He is so easily thrilled and excited.

Can I just say again that I love Super Why. I truly credit this show with sparking Jackson's interest in words, reading and writing...I've only been struggling to do so for six years!

So, this morning anyway, I'm thankful for PBS...how about you?

Tornado

Perhaps I have written of this before, it wouldn't surprise me as this happens almost daily.

Jackson is like a tornado. He goes from room to room in our house destroying any sense of order. He'll dump out his tote full of stuffed animals in the kitchen (so they can "watch" him play on the computer). Then he'll scatter the dvd's all over the floor in the living room looking for just the one he wants to watch. Next, he'll take a shower in the back bathroom and get the floor all wet and dump all his bathtub toys out in the shower. When he decides he wants something to eat he's apt to pop popcorn in the microwave or make a peanut butter sandwich. If I'm really lucky he'll cook his own mac and cheese. Of course all this happens one right after the other and I'm in the constant state of clearing up one mess or another.

It really hit home this weekend when Dan was out raking leaves. He left a relatively clean house with Cal asleep and Jax on the computer. After raking, he comes in to total destruction!

He'll clean up his own messes with prompting, but he's less than crazy about it and needs monitoring to get it done. Oh, the life!

Bubbly

Jackson is currently jamming to Colbie Cailet's new(ish) cd. It's funny how quickly he picks up lyrics and how much he enjoys instrumental beginnings for songs. :)

It's been a BUSY week! Monday afternoon we swam at the Y with a group of kids from church. Jack enjoyed riding in the back of the church van with the other 'big' boys. Tuesday evening we were at Crazy Pinz for another birthday party until 7:30. Wednesday night we had an activity and dinner at church and last night was boy scouts. Tonight we're all just chillin' at home. Actually, he adapted very well to the hectic schedule. Maybe that's a sign he's maturing.

Tonight, our local high school football team plays in a semi-state game. There was a pep rally for them at the school. Jackson had great fun cheering for them as the players paraded through the halls of the elementary. The thought of it warms my heart.

Progress

Here is an example of some writing Jackson did last week at school. He loves to use the "SmartBoard" and is really starting to take off in reading and writing.
Translation:
Jackson
Boy
Girl Zoo* The A
Jackson Ostrowski

*Zoo would be underlined because it has become Jackson's habit to underline a word as he reads it.

He also wrote "knor" for kipper and "rxnd" for Arnold. He told his teacher what he had written giving meaning to his writing which was a total breakthrough! [For the first time, he wrote his own 'story', he's dictated stories in the past, but never truly written one.]