I once had an obstetrician tell me that an ordeal she went through made her a better, more understanding doctor. Well, I can relate to that. As a Kindergarten teacher, I perform a very important educational task — I help children learn to read.
Think for a moment what an illiterate life must be like. If you can't read, an entire world of possibility closes itself off. From basic tasks like ordering off a restaurant menu to important things like purchasing a car or home, there is nothing we humans do in life that is more important than reading. So I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the skills I provide these five- and six-year-olds every day is priceless.
That point really hit home with me this week. I now have a Kindergartner myself. My oldest son, Caiden, is 5 years old and has been in Kindergarten for roughly two months. He entered school with a good vocabulary and a strong command of the alphabet, but he wasn't yet a reader. Watching him acquire this life skill over the past two months has been exhilarating for me. He's doing so well that he is taking part in a special advanced-reading program with a small percentage of his classmates.
I am so proud of him. As he read a book to my husband and I the other night, I was impressed with how much he as accomplished in such a short time. He has a wonderful teacher that he adores, and I am grateful for that.
Seeing a Kindergartner learn to read, from the perspective of a mother, has shown me what the parents of my students must feel like when their little ones first grasp reading. Just like the obstetrician told me a few years ago, this experience has motivated me and made me a better teacher. It's amazing how watching something from the outside can alter your outlook!
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