Reading Endorsement Assignment

I just got a new assignment to journal, regularly. So define regularly. Daily, weekly, yearly? So my definition is as often as I think of it. I'll put it on the "schedule" and hope it gets done, regularly.

This assignment is in reference to a series of classes I'm taking in order to get my Reading Endorsement. I really do want to be able to teach reading better to my students who struggle with words. How awful it must be to not be able to cipher. Most of each day is spent reading something. I have always loved to read. I can remember memorizing The Little Red Hen then taking it to school and showing off how well I could "read". What praises. I was sold. The challenge now is to find time to read for pleasure.

We were taught tonight how important it is to write. That writing is practicing to read. Students who are dyslexic and learn to write in cursive actually teach their brains to bypass 90% of their reading disabilities. I've been teaching my students to write in cursive. But they copy and reproduce. They don't ever produce anything on their own. I started tonight, to give them a message of the day on the board. It will be in cursive and I'm hoping they will feel smart enough to try to tackle it.

Their message was about Linda Johanson, who has been our aide. She's made a tough decision to go back to Logan to finish her college. Things haven't worked for her to stay here and are working out well to go up. I'm a firm believer that things happen for a reason and when things work out or don't work out - that's a message that we'd better pay attention to. We are really going to miss her. The kids really like her. She'll be wonderful wherever she goes. We're going to write letters to her and make her write back.

And that reminds me that I need to write to Mary - tomorrow. In fact, I'd like to write a note to each of the students, like one a day and mail it to them; and Little John and Jayda and my children. So many... And Kolette, whom I love dearly, but may be passing through the veil very soon. Maybe her family could use encouragement. Letters are so valuable, why don't I ever write them. And when I do, I need to write them longhand and not on the computer. Computers are fast but impersonal.

Another assignment that I'm excited but scared about...we are to publish a book. Sigh. I want it to be good. It should be interesting and have meaning, and I want to illustrate it (maybe the second one that I do). So many ideas, but how to choose. My student's stories, the alphabet made of my kiddos names, I Am a Child of God with family pix, the alphabet made of student's photos that they take - that could be a lot of fun and a good school project - but impersonal. That's a good question for Face Book. :)

Enough journaling for one night.