Third grade ! Third grade ! Third grade !
Third grade ! Third grade ! Third grade !
That was the goal . As teachers , we ’ ve always heard that to ensure students were successful readers , they should be reading , on level , by the third grade .
Research has shown that if a child is behind by the time they make it to third grade , then the likelihood that they ’ ll ever catch up is slim . As a teacher , that was cause for concern and pushed me to do whatever possible for my students . Little did I realize , it would be my own children who struggled the most . How ironic is it that an educator , reading coach , and author would have two children , both with reading disabilities ?
When my son was in second grade , I tried everything to get him interested in reading , but he wasn ’ t having it . He ’ d read with little-to-no enthusiasm and wouldn ’ t retain any of the information he ’ d just read . One day I asked him to explain to me what he was feeling while he was reading . He expressed that he didn ’ t like the stories . They weren ’ t fun . At that revelation , the author side of my brain kicked into high gear . What ’ s he interested in ? He loved animals , which is why I ’ d already purchased easy readers about dogs , cats , dinosaurs , and every other animal imaginable , but there was no animal my son loved more than his dog , Teddy . So what did a woman who was both a mother and educator do ? I wrote a story about my son and his dog .
Unlike adults , the book needed pictures because children at that age aren ’ t quite ready to let their imagination run wild with just words . I had an impromptu photo shoot one afternoon with him and his dog outside playing . Those pictures would become a part of a personalized book made for him .
He loved it ! I can ’ t tell you how many times he ’ d read that book . To this day , six years later , he still has it in his room . Unlike the personalized book I ’ d purchased when he was born , this one offered him the thrill of seeing himself in the illustrations . Because of my son , and my daughter who came shortly after and exhibited the same struggles , I now have over fifteen different stories based on holidays , birthdays , sports , princesses — you name it .
Honestly , I am not able to say the personalized book helped my children so much that they started reading above level , because that ’ s not the case . However , it did open their minds to the fact that reading can be a lot of fun . That , in itself , was a major accomplishment .
L . A . Lewis is a National Bestselling author , motivational speaker , and educator who specialized in publishing personalized childrens books and inspirational ones for adutls . She also has three contemporary fiction novels : Find out more about L . A . Lewis by visiting her website at w w w . a u t h o r l a l e w i s . c o m