Ellie's homework from her Language Arts (English) class each day is to read for twenty minutes. She and I often talk about how I wish someone would assign me to read for 20 minutes every day - as its one of my favorite things to do! But Ellie on the other hand would rather do so many other things than read - her iPad, her phone, television, sing loudly, dance in the rain, sort socks into pairs ... you get the picture. Anything other than read!
Until she read the first book selection of the year for a grade. Mrs. Sloppy has them choose a library book and then a project to share with the class about what meant the most to them about the book, and why another student would want to read it. The book kept her interest - sometimes reading for 45 minutes in one sitting! And as she got closer and closer to the end she was getting anxious - because she didn't want the story to end.
Boy, was I familiar with that feeling! The day after school that she finished she got up and came to me in the kitchen. There were tears in her eyes and she was holding the book close. "Mommy, I finished my book," she said quietly. When I asked how she liked it she said she loved it and asked if she could read the last paragraph to me.
It was then that I knew she would love to read. She got it. She understood the ending and most of all felt a loss that the story was over. With that grows a hunger for the next story. What book will fill the hope in my heart left by the one just completed?
Such a proud mom moment to be raising a reader!
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