Number 3

One of the most stressful things for me about homeschooling is teaching children to read.  Encouraging kids to love books and good literature is a cinch, but tackling the mechanics of reading is another story altogether.  Isaac and I have worked hard over the last couple of years to get him to the point of being a "reader."  We have fought for every initial consonant and short vowel, and it's truly been an effort for him.  

But, it has paid off, because Isaac is truly a reader now!  He is reading everything.  It seems like overnight he just exploded.  After 18 months of consistent phonics, he went from simple sentences to tackling anything he wants to read so quickly.  

The funny thing is, he is now a reading fool!  He is reading every sign, label, and cereal box he sees.  As he said tonight, he just can't see a word and not read it.  That's music to my ears since it was so hard fought.  He is delighted with his skill, as evidenced by these pictures:

Here is Isaac with our well-worn Beginner's Bible.  This has been the first book that all of my children have read in 2nd grade.  They read the "entire" Bible to me before we dive into our fiction books for the year.  He has loved reading the familiar stories for himself!

I am delighted (and relieved) to have Isaac reading fluently. Three down, two to go!