Many, many years ago when my son was born, I said to myself, “I got this.” I was a well-oiled machine, determined to do many of the same things I had done for his older sister with a single goal in mind: Help him to develop a love of reading and set him on a path that would lead to academic success. So, I read to him every night, never let his idle hands sit for long without books and crafts, and tuned into Sesame Street every morning.
Both of my children did well in school, but like a lot of parents, I wish I had known more about how to prepare them better for life’s never ending contests, which is part of the reason why I’m writing this blog. Reading is fundamental. It is truly the back stage pass to so many events that determine the quality of our lives. Too many American children, especially African American children, don’t read well, and the predictions for their futures come true too often.
In the months to come, I want to use this space to drill down to the basics. I plan to focus on:
- New reading methods
- Teaching boys to read vs teaching girls to read
- The relationship between reading and sounding out words
- Learning to read is a team effort.
I don’t know everything, so I hope we can learn and share together!
Early Words 