Big Boy starts the first grade today. Why they are starting school on a Friday, and only a half day at that, I know not. I have no clue. It seems rather silly. However, it is a special day because it is the first day in Big Boy's Reading Challenge.When I was in the first grade, the school extended a challenge to the first graders to read 100 books during the course of the year. At that time I was not a good reader and did not have much interest or motivation in improving my reading. My dad told me that if I reached that goal, he would pay me $100. Now, $100 in 1984 was a lot of money. It still is. The deal, though, was that I had to read all 100 books. If I only read 99, then I would only get $.50 per book. I may not have been a great reader, but I knew enough math to know that $.50 per book was half of $1.00 per book. My major foray into academia was motivated by money--pure and simple. But, it works. I was the second person in my class to achieve the goal. (There was a girl, Cecilia I think her name was, that did it two or three weeks before me.) I got a trophy, a ribbon, a certificate and everything. It was great--my first taste of true academic achievement. (I should also mention that my brother John, a year younger than I, was reading at three. I am sure that that small detail also spurred me into learning how to read. I couldn't let him show me up, could I?)
I have decided to extend the same 100 Book Reading Challenge to Big Boy. Adjusting for inflation, that would be about $200 today. The gauntlet has been tossed and my son has accepted this onerous task. This weekend we will make a chart to mark his progress.
10 comments:
There's something very satisfying about being recognized for academic achievement. I remember realizing, at an early age, that I really enjoyed getting that pat on the back or the certificate of achievement.
On another note, many of the books I buy for the home library are purchased in anticipation of reading to my kids as soon as they can start handling stuff like Through the Looking Glass. Do you have a list of the books the kids are supposed to read? Or is it just whatever 100 books they dig?
Holy cow, if I read 100 books will you give me $200? I was always jealous of my friends that got money for good grades. I always got good grades and never saw a penny. Bummer.
Yeah, I never got money for grades either. Oh, I should have also mentioned that my parents made me save half of that $100. We'll do the same with our son.
Yeah, you saved half . . . for a while. Tell 'em about all the neat GI Joe crap you bought with the first half. It was kinda' fun blowing a wad on your passion, now wasn't it? We also need to learn it is okay to use resources on things that may not make sense to others but are important to us (amplifiers, guitars, pickups, mic stands, computer programs, that pesky second monitor, etc.) Spend (invest) away and bring your passion home.
Oh, and James. Did you tackle a bunch of Little Golden Books? Naw, you took on 50 and 100 page monsters. Now, get back to work writing your own 100 page monster. And by the way, your achievement then was only the first of many times you left me amazed and very proud.
James, I think you have a pretty cool Dad.
Thanks Dad. I did get a G.I. Joe Hovercraft. I think I also got a G.I. Joe sleeping bag but we had to take it back because it was too short.
I should clarify that it's an exaggeration to say I read 50-100 page monsters. I think I probably read some 40+ page Dr. Seuss books. (Also, a dissertation is between 200-250 pages. I wish it were only 100.)
Eh, either way . . .
So, the legacy passes. For anyone who reads this, that feat of yours was no simple task to read 100 books. We couldn't find very many 1st grade books, so you started reading 2nd grade books.
Yea, James, you should have taken that $50 in savings and bought gold (all seven-year olds these days are investing in precious metals). If you had done that you'd be a multi-hundred-aire by now.
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