This will be backdated to 1972
Mom shared some memories of when the family first moved to Utah in 1972 ...
Chris was just turned 6 and in Mrs. Clark's 1st grade. Her husband had Meniere's Disease really bad and couldn't work, so she started teaching school.
I considered having Chris repeat Kindergarten, since he was small and young for his grade. Also, they hadn't taught reading in kindergarten in Richland. But still having 3 little ones at home most of the time would be hard, so I went ahead and sent him. Having lunch at school was scary for him at first, so Mrs. Clark let him eat with her in the classroom. He started out very behind in reading, but was so smart, he ended up being the best reader in his class and the principal awarded him a big yellow book about cars, trains, airplanes, etc. Mrs. Clark would reward the kids with a small paperback book every time they read 20 books. Chris is very competitive and that really motivated him in reading. That is where I got the idea of the reading charts and reward after 20 kid books or 10 chapter books I have made for some of your kids.
Looking through the saved stuff, there were quite a few reading certificates and awards for Chris for the years to come. Looks like Mrs. Clark's jumpstart had lasting effects! Thanks Mrs. Clark!
Chris did comment that "A Wrinkle in Time" and its sequels were favorites.
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