Reading Ryan

So this transition into first grade has been seamless.  The boys LOVE their teacher, and I do as well.  She is thoughtful about her lessons, she is dedicated to her kids, she is funny, sarcastic, and an amazingly patient teacher. 

Evan has been reading for some time now.  It really clicked with him.  He is reading books at about a third grade level, but I find that he can sound out just about any word that follows traditional rules.  Scary, I now have to be very careful with what I leave laying about.

Ryan, has been slower on the uptake, and it was alarming.  I could not get him to read ANY thing to me.  He would tell me he couldn't or it was confusing.  So imagine my surprise when I went in for Parent Teacher conferences to learn that he was one of the best readers in the class.  "Ryan?" I asked, "No, you mean Evan"  No, she meant Ryan.  That little faker.

Ryan has always loved to be read to.  He was the kid that I read to for four straight hours one day when he was sick.  He is the kid that would choose having stories read to him over Legos...okay maybe not, but he loves to be read to.   So, I guess in his little brain, he decided that if he shows me he can read, he will not get stories read to him. 

Since that meeting, I have breathed a bit easier, not pushed him to read to me as much. However while on a cleaning binge, I found a set a books that I had picked up quite a while back, I gave them to Ryan, made a big fuss about how these were books I knew he could read and they could be his special books that he could keep in his room.  Within minutes, he was calling me to come see, he could read this whole page!!! Success!!!!