Go!!!

If you have read my first two blogs you may be thinking..."Duh my kid needs to know the ABC's, not a big deal, who needs a blog for this?"

Yes. The ABC's are a big deal. It isn't all of it, but I must really emphasize. It's more than just singing the song. It's more than just identifying the letters.

You should teach:

- The song

(Correctly. Don't let them rush. "elemeno" isn't a letter)

- The letters

(Capitals, lowercase, and in different fonts or even handwriting. A serif font or   even script can cause confusion for a child that has only seen the bold standard.

- Their sounds

(HUGE KEY TO READING! I've seen children all the way in middle school and    even high school have trouble reading new or less familiar words because they don't truly know what sounds the letters make. If this is skipped, they start learning only from sight words and just come to memorizing more and more words instead of actually reading. You'll notice this in kids who say a similar word that may have a slightly different spelling instead of the actual word. Skipping this part will only cause issues down the road, but it is never too late to start. If your child is already reading, and you test them or start to notice they can't or won't sound out a word or certain words, it may be time to revert back to the basics to strengthen their reading skills.

This is your foundation on your child's education. Imagine a high school or college student not being able to read. Impossible? I hate to admit I've taught high school seniors that had the reading level of a second or third grader. Imagine that. Did they pass and graduate high school? Yes. Should they? No. Left behind and schools choosing to not have frequent repeaters of students until they simply age out of high school isn't an option for them. Instead they pass them along. They do what they can and continue to pass them even though they fail. I would look at student records trying to figure out how kids are at such a low level in my classroom only to have my jaw drop at straight F's or D's and F's in middle school and elementary.

The purpose of going to school is to learn. But in the end, we can only do so much. Children are passed along to be someone else's problem until they are finally out in the world with only a fraction of what they truly need to be successful...Unless we do something.

JUST LIKE THEIR SAFETY AND SURVIVIAL, IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN.

We choose what schools they go to, or we homeschool. We provide school supplies, we make sure they get there, do their homework, and what classes they take. That shouldn't be the end of it. We are the first and final defense.