The Day He Learned To Read

You really do have to hand it to teachers now-a-days. My oldest (if you read this blog you'd know he's five) is now in Senior Kindergarten. Last year we had some "school" issues that had me beside myself for three months.

All of a sudden last year he started hating school. It took me three months to move him to another school. Yes, I know, avoidance isn't always the best answer but in my case, it was. Justin was a victim of 'constant supply teacher-itis'. Yep, you heard me right. Would you believe that every single day that Justin went to school, in JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN, he had a different teacher? I didn't even know this at the time. I kept writing letters to the teacher and she'd reply. I had no idea that she was the vice principle and NEVER in class with her students. Took me attending his class every day for two weeks for me to start to question just where on earth his teacher was.

How terrible for a four year old to go to a new school, away from the safeness of his family home and have no adult to trust. Always a new face. Always someone who didn't know him from Adam. Not that there was a boy named Adam in his class but you know what I mean.

Long story short we moved Justin to another school. One where security mattered and so did the emotional well being of their students. We are not Catholic but Justin now attends a Catholic school. Best thing we ever did.

So he started his new school last year in March. I thought it was going to be a bad thing because he'd be going into a classroom that had already been "together" for 6 months. Lucky for us, Justins teacher is the TEACHER of all Teachers and helped Justin in his new classroom with his new friends. It wasn't long before he was coming home all smiley with his letters and sounds. Last year was great. And we were SO lucky that this year he has the same teacher for Senior Kindergarten.

She's a great teacher. She is teaching my son to read. Now as exciting as this sounds, it worries me a little. Justin doesn't like to make mistakes so I often worry about him not picking it up. But let me assure you, he's picking it up just fine.

A few weeks ago while out for a walk with his grandmother, Justin came across the mailboxes above. My mom chuckled a little when she read it but she kept it to herself because lets face it, vandalism is NOT funny. She didn't really worry about Justin reading it because as far as she knew, he couldn't read.

Justin "Nana, someone wrote on the mailboxes. Why would someone do that?"

Nana: "Oh sometimes kids get into things that they shouldn't get into and sometimes they do things that they aren't allowed to do. Someone has just put a word on the mailboxes. Not a very nice thing to do was it?".

Justin: "What do you think it says Nana?"

Nana: "Oh, well, um..er....well, it says Mailbox" *HA, thinking a little white lie was OK in this circumstance*

Justin: "AAAA SSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Nana, I don't think it says mailbox".

Justin: "Nana. It says ASS"

Justin: "Nana, why would someone write ASS on the mailbox"?


When Justin got home that day he took great pleasure in telling me OVER and OVER and OVER again that someone wrote the word ASS on the mailboxes at Nana's house. I could tell that he was using it as an opportunity to use the word without getting in too much trouble.
My poor mom. I don't think she knew what to say.

I did send a note to school the next day to let Mrs. Cotnam know how good a job she was doing.

I'm just so proud that my little boy is learning how to read.