Grown-Ups and Sight Words

     For my very first post, I couldn't think of a better subject than my best friend's son, Wyatt. He's my favorite 6 year old in the WHOLE world. He asked me the other day with big eyes as he was eating his lunch, "P?" (He calls me P and has since he was old enough to talk : )) He said, "P? Am I your only boyfriend?" I said, "Why yes darling for now." He always makes me laugh. Later on that day we had a discussion.

‎"P? How old are you?"--Wyatt
"I'm 19..."--me
"You're almost grown up."
"How old do you have to be when you're grown up?"
"20."
..."P? How old are you gonna be when are you get married? 30?"
"I don't know baby..."
"Who are you gonna marry?"
"Well that's a good question."
"Well I'm not getting married til I'm 30."

As cute as his 6 year old questions are, it got me thinking. What really makes you grown up? I mean gets who decides how old, old is? 

Wyatt was given an award a couple of weeks ago for knowing 100 sight words. Now I was totally confused when he told me this. I was like, "What is a sight word and how do you know them??" Haha well after his mom explained it, I was like oh, ok. He had to know a list of 100 words, and be able to recognize them on the spot. I was so proud that he knew ALL of them! It just confirmed that he would forever more receive books from me on his birthday (don't worry, he always get something cool too). 

I got to thinking. It's awesome that teachers now begin in kindergarten teaching kids to be better readers. It's so important that they get that good foundation early on. I don't know how many people I come across everyday that don't like to read, because they aren't good at it. I don't just mean it bores them. They struggle with it. What if we taught kids to love it? What if we showed them what books could do for them? Who says we can't? 

It's a hard task. I mean we have to compete with cell phones, Facebook, T.V., and a million other things. 

Challenge: What can YOU do as a teacher to help you students love to read? 

 This is one of my favorite pictures of Wyatt! : )

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter..."-- Mark Twain