Assistant Principal for the Day!

50 AR points!

Noah has not proved to be very competitive by nature in most things in life. So far that is just not how he is as a person. He began taking Accelerated Reader (AR) tests in September. Each test is only worth half a point so I figured it would take every bit of the year to get to the end goal of 100 points. We began reading his library books and a few extra books we had at home. Once he reached a few prize levels he started getting more excited. I was able to check his progress online and started noticing he was failing some of the tests. When I asked him about it he said those tests didn't have recorded voice - meaning the tests were not read to them by the computer. So, he had to read the questions and possible answers and some of the words in the questions and answers were not on the first grade reading level. I remembered seeing on the AR Information form that any parents wanting to come in and help with AR testing in the mornings could do so.  I spoke to his teacher and she said that the tests without recorded voice was a problem with many of the students and I was welcome to come in and help. So, Noah and I started reading stories in the morning before school so they would be fresh on his brain and then go in and test on them. While I was helping Noah I also read some tests to some of the other students too.

Showing his over 100 AR points!

Noah decided after getting about 25 points that he wanted to be the first one in his class to gain the 100 point reward of being Assistant Principal for the day. I was all for supporting this! Once we started the routine of morning reading and me helping with the non recorded voice tests Noah began gaining points like crazy! He was constantly asking me to help him read more books and we would test until the last minute every morning. He received rewards along the way like pencils, two extra recesses, juice party, trip to the park, water bottle, a medal, a kids meal and finally Assistant Principal for the Day!

Not only was Noah the first one in his class to be Assistant Principal for the Day but he was the first in the entire school! Noah was so excited and could not wait to tell his teacher. He had to wait a week for his big day and he asked me every day how many more days until he was Assistant Principal. Friday January 20, 2017, was his big day! The school really went all out to celebrate his accomplishment and make him feel special. His name was on the school sign, announced on the intercom and put on the Facebook page and lots of teachers congratulated him in the hallway.  Some of the students asked if Mr. Ziegler picked him up for school that day since he was his assistant for the day :)

Since Noah's Principal wears a lot of vests Noah had to wear one too on his special day. 

When you are Assistant Principal you don't have to do any school work and you get 100's on all assignments for the day! Noah had such a fun day with the principal. He got to help the principal hand out AR rewards to other kids and help test the Kindergartners on sight words. Noah's big day was also on the day I volunteer at the school so he kept insisting he go check on me and tell me to "get back to work" :) When he wasn't assisting the principal or checking on me he had fun in his class where he got to read or do special activities while the other kids did their work.

Noah's friends Kadience and Lexi wanted a picture with the Assistant Principal for the day :)

I am really trying to stress how important reading is to Noah so that maybe he will find a love for it that me and his father never found. We always just read when we had to, never for pleasure. Maybe this will help us all find a love for it somehow - after all, Ryan will be doing all this in 2 years and Noah will be moving up to other AR challenges in the next school. (I don't even want to talk about leaving this school yet - the fact he is almost done at the Primary is heartbreaking to me - I absolutely love that building and wish we had more time there). I decided to keep coming in before school and helping the other students with testing. I am reading tests to some kids and books to others and watching them get excited when their total scores come up is so rewarding. I would have never thought I would be so involved in a reading program but I am glad I am :)