Progress Report

I don't usually like to single out a child, especially in the area of academic work, but I did feel the need to write a blog post about Naomi today.  She and I have now spent almost 13 weeks together in the classroom.  When she first came to me she could write three letters/numbers. She could not write her name, did not know her letters, and though she could sing the ABC song, the letters were not clearly enunciated so it was hard to tell what she was saying. Oh, and then there was the fact that she spoke almost no English upon entering the country.   I was a little overwhelmed an unsure of  where to start but it became clear we need to start at the very beginning.  (hear Julie Andrews singing in the background here!)

We've plugged away at learning letters, writing letters, counting, writing numbers and more.  (Leap Frog's "Letter Factory" DVD deserves a shout-out here!)  This week, Naomi blew me away.  She tends to surge in her learning.  We will crawl along and just when I think she is not going to get a concept, she'll steamroll right past me and show that she not only has it, but she is ready to move two steps beyond where I was targeting.
Today she took a spelling test using pictures on the white board. This might seem like no big deal, but this child it was huge!  Let me tell you what it took to get here:  she had to learn the letters, and their sounds as well as how to write them; she had to learn how to say a word slowly and break it into sounds to hear each part; she had to learn the vocabulary needed to recognize a picture; she had to learn to trust her teacher and be willing to try a task without assistance; she had to know that her classmates would not laugh at her for making a mistake; she had to learn that trying hard results in a job well done that makes a person feel good.  I was thrilled to see the white board looking like this today!

Shortly after that she sat with me and read a story-a whole story! (Ignore the weird coding in the picture below-it really is a great reading program!)  The she wrote a little story about her friend Brian (who apparently likes to play football!).  I stand in awe of the work God is doing in her life, and in mine. I truly did not think we would at this point in her learning this soon.

Naomi's morning baord

 Years ago I had the privilege of becoming a teacher.  Though I wanted to be a first grade teacher more than anything, God chose to give me a job working as a special educator instead.  Those were tough years for me. I loved my students but I really struggled with not having this dream of being a first grade teacher fully realized.   An opportunity arose for me to work on earning another degree that would be paid for by my school district.  I jumped at the chance to go back to school part-time and was soon accepted into a special program that trained teachers to work with at-risk first graders who were failing in the area of reading.  Though I was still not in my own first grade classroom, it was one step closer to what I wanted to be doing-teaching little people to fall in love with books and reading.  I spent just one year as the reading specialist at my school.  I loved my job and loved helping children achieve in the area of reading.  After only one year, God showed us that he had a new direction for us and I left teaching to become a mom.

Almost perfect math test today too!!

This week it has become clear to me why I never had that first grade classroom. The skill set that I gained while teaching in Special Education and the knowledge I acquired while becoming a reading specialist have been critical to the work that I have been doing in my classroom for the last 13 weeks.  God is showing me that he had been preparing me  for the 2014-2015 school year for the past 15 years.  He knew long ago that an at-risk reader would enter my school and that she would demand a certain skills set from her teacher.  He prepared me then for what I would need now.  What a great gift!  When I think through this, it humbles me, and encourages me.  On the tough days it is a ready reminder that this is where God wants me to be, and on the victorious days I am reminded that He desires to give good gifts to His children, which sometimes come in the form of academic successes.  So, I guess this blog post is not really about Naomi today.  It is really about how God is using Naomi to show me what a great God He is.

Thank you God, for caring for me enough that you would allow me to have a temporary disappointment in life in order to realize bigger dreams later in life.  Thank you for giving me the perfect opportunity to teach my little girl to fall in love with school and with learning, and thank you for giving her great success this week.

Way to go Naomi!  I am so proud of your work and your diligence!

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