Caiteyn and Writing

Before Caiteyn started kindergarten, we attended an orientation where her teacher told us what she expected of our child and us as parents; I remember thinking to myself that kindergarten was nothing like I remembered. During the orientation her teacher said that ALL her students would be reading and writing by the end of the year. Coming into kindergarten, I had a fear that Caiteyn would not catch on to the reading and writing thing and that she would be the one that was not successful. The first part of the year she started off a little slow, but soon she was moving through her flashcards quickly and she was actually able to sound out words. As part of their daily morning work, they write in a journal, usually a couple of sentences on a topic that is given to them by their teacher. At the beginning of the year, it was hard to make out what she writing without the help of the teacher's handwriting below Caiteyn's. Her teacher encouraged her to write the word exactly how it sounded and soon we could actually read what she was writing.

Caiteyn has become so comfortable with her writing that she writes (and draws) all the time. I can happily say that she CAN read and write and I am so proud of her progress. Here are a few of her recent writings...

I walked into her room to find this hanging on her door. After I laughed, I explained that her that keeping her sister out of her room is not allowed. "No Carlie sorry, but Mommy" I love the fact that she drew Carlie with a line through her face...too funny!

"Can you come to my birthday please for me. We will eat pizza and we will have a fashion show. Thank you." And then she drew a map in case her friends got lost on the way to our house.

"On Monday I go to dance class and we are learning to dance Blue Suede Shoes."