Go Hunt Go

My son Hunter is in 2nd grade. He's one of those really calm, easygoing kids. Of course he really had to be because his older sister was such a force to be reckoned with.

Anyway, since he started school, he has always done just fine. The teachers always loved him cause he's got such a kind and genuine heart, but the comments I always got about Rena (smartest kid in any room) never were heard about Hunt. And I just always figured he'd be the kind of kid who just glides through school.

When he started school this year, I was a bit concerned when I found out his reading level was just a bit below grade level. When they started doing Accelerated Reader (AR - where they read, take little tests on the books, and then earn points), he was so not interested. He would even take tests on books he didn't even read just to see if he could pass them. When that didn't work out well, he'd sit down and flip through looking at the pictures and then try to pass the test.

We got through the first 9 weeks with him earning enough points to get a good grade and his teacher informed him that his reading level had improved. This new reading level took him from Dr. Seuss to chapter books like the Magic Tree House books. The first weekend he sat down with a book that the teacher gave him special permission to read (since it was well above his level) and, while we had to be nearby in case there was a word he didn't know, he was drawn into the world of a book for the first time. And, since then, there's been no stopping him.

This week is the end of the 2nd 9 weeks and the boy who struggled to get 10 points last time is working hard to be the first kid in his class to reach 30 points. And I'm so incredibly proud of him. So proud that I went completely out of my way this morning to take him a box of new books so he has tons of options.

While I'm proud of his school accomplishments, I'm more excited at the world that I know will open up for him. It's not quite like Rena, to whom I could hand down my Anne of Green Gables and Laura Ingalls Wilder books, but I do look forward to the day both he and Rena are old enough for me to pass down my well worn copy of The Once and Future King. Oops... I just geeked everyone out didn't I... my bad!