So what is this miracle book that got my daughter reading? Her great aunt sent her Bellossom's Big Battle (Pokemon Junior Chapter Book)
in the box she sent for Valentine's Day. My Pokemon obsessed daughter is finally inspired to read because it's about Pokemon, and what could be more fun than that? Now if only we could track down the rest of the series! I might just have to start trying.Now, in case you haven't guessed by now, my aunt is incredibly awesome. She has a degree in education and used to teach. I don't remember a lot about the time I spent with my aunt, but some things do stand out more than others. She says she helped my sister and I learn fractions, and while I don't doubt it, I just don't remember it. However, there are some things I do remember quite clearly, like having her dedicate a weekend to my report on Ellis Island, and helping me write it so well (with foot notes and everything) that my teacher thought I must have had someone do it for me. In my teacher's opinion, sixth graders aren't capable of that kind of work. I learned a lot about properly siting sources that weekend, knowledge I found helpful later in high school. There was one weekend where I had to stand out in front of her house while she had me recite the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere so I could have it memorized for the first day we could recite it in class. I'm horrible with memorization, but while some people would think yelling a poem over the noise of traffic is kind of torturous, I think it was brilliant. I had to repeat the poem so many times just to be heard that I couldn't help but memorize it. Since then it's become one of my favorites, even if it isn't the most historically accurate.
My aunt could always be counted on for the best gifts on the holidays too. My favorite was a book I still have today, almost ten years later, Dinotopia
. I remember my mom saying she was disappointed that I unwrapped it and moved on to the next thing so quickly. I have to admit, that year I was kind of in a hurry to get it all over with. I'm still kind of that way. I like to get through my presents as fast as possible so I can move on to the moments when I don't have to have the whole room looking at me. I still feel awkward having people stare at me when I get a present, not quite sure how to show proper appreciation, not how long to dedicate to each present before passing on to the next one.I just wish my aunt knew just how much time I spent with that book. I even tried writing an entire journal in the footprint language of the dinosaurs. I still pull that book out and read it. I just wish I'd known there were more to the hardcover series. I can't wait until the boys are older so I can share it with them. Bunny Boo...she's not so much on dinosaurs...
I honestly don't know what changed in Bunny Boo. I think it had something to do with the Pokemon book, I'm sure. It's fitting that my aunt should hold the magic fix to get my daughter reading, after all, she always seemed to inspire my sister and I to learn and do really well on our school projects. I'm just happy that she's reading after all this time!
Oh, and since I know my aunt is reading this, this post is definitely dedicated to her. There aren't many people in the world as special as my aunt is, and I know I don't tell her this near as much as I probably should, but my life would have been very different without her. A girl couldn't ask for a better godmother!
Thanks for the kind words. I'm so thrilled I found it. I'll keep an eye out at the used book sales. Those things have a way of popping up when people clean out their kids early reading collections.
ReplyDeleteAs for the creative teaching you can blame your Mom. On both occasions we had tickets to take you and your sister places and your Mom said you couldn't go until the school work was done. She was convinced we'd never get you to be able to speak the poem loud enough for the teacher to hear it so we moved from inside our apartment in Acton to the street. Your Aunt and I sat on the stairs so you would have to project and we could honestly say we couldn't hear you instead of trying to instruct you on the finer lessons of projection which had just resulted in you feeling picked on inside.
As for the Ellis Island that was another project that was a combined effort. Your other Aunt is a computer wiz and was able to make my little MAC sing and figure out how to get the footprints to appear at the bottom of the page. While I knew how to write them, I never could have figured out how to get them on the bottom of the page before the curtain opened.
I must say I still can't hear The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere without cracking a smile and almost laughing. I was at some sites this summer and got some very strange looks. All I could picture was you on the street yelling the bloody poem at the top of your lungs. According to your Mom I think you were the only kid that knew all the verses. She implied you had to, so we taught you.
That should read footnotes not footprints, sorry.
DeleteYes, I was the only kid who knew the whole poem. Technically we all had to learn the whole thing, but as time went on the teacher got more and more lax about it. I think she was surprised to hear that I finished the whole thing with only a little encouragement here and there when I got nervous. I just wish I kind of wish I could still remember the whole thing. Memories really fade with time, I guess.
DeleteAs for the rest of it, whether it was my mother's rule or not, I'm still glad for all the help. You've inspired me to have a life-long love of learning in a way that schools never could, and you've helped me be a lot more creative and fun with teaching my own kids. Who could ever complain about that?