I debated this summer about sending Rory to a summer school/reading program. He really didn’t want to go, but I (of course) wanted him to keep working on those skills.
At his resource teacher’s suggestion, we went the cheap route. I pay him $1 for every fifteen minutes of reading, up to $3 if he reads 45 minutes in a day. Last week, I had to pay him $3 for the first time all summer. I played it really cool, although I threw in a $2 bonus. But inside I was jumping up and down, because he did it for exactly the reason I dreamed of–because he really wanted to know what happened next. At least I think that’s why he did it. He might tell me that it was for the money. But either way, he did it!
Yesterday we concluded he hadn’t done his reading (an okay choice on Saturday and Sunday, although the first fifteen minutes is required on the weekdays). But when I woke up this morning, I remembered seeing him read yesterday, a different book than the one he’s been working on. I think maybe he thought that didn’t count. But to me, it counts even more–he was reading for pleasure! Woo-hoo!!!