Little Baby CeeCee and the literacy crisis in America

 CeeCee is a favorite with my students and they always ask to see her at some point during our lessons.  I'm not sure why they don't ask to see Zenji, maybe they can't remember her name.  

If the children are struggling and becoming frustrated I just pan the camera around and call CeeCee who hurries over, most times with a toy in her mouth.  Seeing her can provide a break which will allow the kids to relax a bit.  For the younger students I will incorporate phonics into their CeeCee moment.  They can sound out and spell dog or toy and count the letter sounds.  It's a positive moment for all of us.

This past week has been progress monitoring week and most of the students did very well.  I do have several who are struggling and I have to shoulder the blame.  I just can't seem to connect with these kids.  I know they are trying their best but they struggle.  With the older students, they haven't been taught the basics of reading so I have to start with simple letter sounds and blending consonant vowel consonant words (cvc).  It is a step backwards and veers off course from our lessons but they need to learn.  And for some older students, it can be embarrassing because they are struggling to read simple sentences.  I try to reassure them and let them know it isn't their fault but when they are paired with other students who can read they hesitate to even try.  

Having older students who are struggling to read is one of the reason I become angry when I hear people claim there is no literacy crisis in America.  Literary rates are declining and there are several theories as to why.  Socioeconomic issues, teacher shortages, education funding cuts have all been listed as factors.  Personally I think that kids just aren't encourage to read outside of school hours.  Parents who have difficulty reading themselves are less likely to encourage their children to read and this is part of the continuing decline in literacy in America.  In addition, phones and video games have replaced books and those are distractions I didn't have growing up.  We had books in our house and we grew up reading with my favorite childhood book being 101 Dalmatians.  It is still my favorite.

Take care and remember to read,

Teresa, Zenji and CeeCee

     Introducing our monthly newsletter,

                        The Reading Roadrunner!

 2 am with coffee and dogs

Up early getting ready for an ESL class.  Took Zenji to a different vet Friday morning.  We've been to this one before but only for rabies vaccines.  Both the vet and her vet tech are super nice people and really care about animals.  Her rates are low compared to most of the other vets in town but I guess if you're not paying for a brand new building you don't have to overcharge clients.

No new diagnosis from the new vet as of yet.  She requested all of Zenji's medical records from the two previous vets and is going to review the results.  She felt it wasn't necessary to repeat blood work or x-rays and she did give me a new prescription for Zenji's pain meds (carprofen). 

We did discuss the possibility of Zenji's cancer returning.  I told her if it is cancer causing Zenji's discomfort, I'm not going to pursue any type of treatment.  I just want Zen to be happy and pain-free until it is her time to go.

Sometimes a dog can break your heart.

Take care,

Teresa, Zenji and CeeCee

 3 am with coffee and dogs

Up early again getting ready for a 4:30 am ESL class.  Both dogs slept through the night which is good.  I've been worried about Zenji though.  She's had some tenderness with her hips but carprofen seems to help.  The challenge is trying to keep her calm once she starts feeling better.  I've made an appointment with another vet and hopefully this one may have some insight into what is going on with Zenji.  If anything, I should be able to get a prescription for pain meds to help Zen when she needs it.

This morning's student was a no-show which was a little frustrating but I still get paid.  I think however, I would have preferred to sleep in a bit. 

Overall the students have been really good this year, no real behavior issues as of yet.  I think the most challenging student is one that is struggling to read basic three letter words.  He tends to act up a bit when it is his turn to read but I think he only does that because he doesn't know how to sound out the words.  I'm going to start giving him some extra attention and focus on letter sounds and blending.  Hopefully that will give him some confidence.

Take care,

Teresa, Zenji and CeeCee