So proud of you, Todd!

I've been wanting to include the "all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" photo of Todd for a little while now.  This seems like a good time to do it because in today's post, I want to write about how proud we are of Todd.

This fella has done amazing things.

Let me explain.

When we moved to France, Todd went to all day preschool in the French public school at the age of 4.  We had no choice as to which class he was put into or how long his day would be, he just joined the class where other kids his age would go for all day preschool.  As it turned out, he was young for his class.  Those full days of school in a foreign language really tired him out!

Our second year in France, Todd was in Kindegarten.  This was the year he really swallowed French.  (I just don't know a better word for it.  Swallowed is the best.  One day he just became fluent in French.)

Our third year in France, Todd was a 1st grader.  By the time we left France, he was reading AT GRADE LEVEL, along with his French classmates.  He had zero American accent.  He was getting all satisfactory marks doing school completely in FRENCH.

Then we moved to America.

In America, Todd would be the youngest person in his grade if we had put him in 2nd grade this year.  That, combined with the fact that he could not read in English, made it an easy choice to have him repeat 1st grade, but this time in ENGLISH.  To add to that, in Indiana the cut off for school is the 1st of August.  Todd was born on the 19th of August, so in Indiana he would be a 1st grader.  We said, that works perfectly for Todd!  Put him in 1st grade.

So, Todd began school this year on August 15th and a 1st grader for the second time.  He didn't know how to read anything in English except for three words:  "no", "I" and "zoo". 

Why he knew "zoo" is beyond me, but he did.

I looked at the list of sight words his new 1st grade teacher sent home and I began to worry.  There were about 60 words on the list and I knew Todd could only read two of them.  (Zoo was not on the sight word list.)

Since we were so consumed with figuring out our own lives, we didn't do much beyond send Todd to school and figure the staff there could work everything out.

It didn't take long before we woke up.

We finally remembered, Todd can only read in French when school began.  In fact, Todd has only ever done school in French.  Perhaps he needs a little help.

I started tutoring Todd after school each day.  We did his homework together.  We did phonics flashcards together.  Over and over, we practiced those tricky vowels which are EXACTLY OPPOSITE from French.  (In French an "i" is an "e" and an "e" is an "i".  This is VERY confusing to re-learn!)

I have to be honest and say there were days when I thought he would never read a book in English!  It just seemed like his brain had been too programmed in French.

We reasoned, "if he manages to get to 80% of where his classmates are by the end of this school year, we'll be pleased.  He'll catch up finally in 2nd grade."

But, no.  Todd didn't need a full year to reach 80% of his classmates level in reading.  He has caught up in just over 3 months of school!!!!  Who would have guessed this squirly, so-happy-to-do-anything-to-make-another-human-being-laugh goofball would learn to read in English in just 3 months?!?!?  He did it!

It is just pure joy to hear him reading in English.  It is just pure joy to see him read by himself, understand, and then laugh at the funny things Morris the Moose does.  It is such a joy to hear Todd comment on signs on the highway or in the stores - signs he never payed any attention to before but now he is reading on his own.

"Todd, you have done well.  You have joined the world of readers!!!  We are so very proud of you!!!"

And, a big thank you to Todd's teacher who is obviously doing several things right.  We celebrate this victory with you in our minds as well.

Ah.... one more hurdle passed and one more prayer answered.  Praise the Lord!