Dressing up this week for Read Across America has been fun! But even more important than the tropical vibes from our students and staff was the enthusiasm for reading.
I have always been in love with reading. A good book transports me away to another world, allows me to connect to different types of people, or paints a picture of times gone by.
My love of books began as a child when my dad would read bedtime stories to my brother and me. This is significant because my dad did not learn to read until he was about 9 years old. His teachers had given up on him until he became homebound with hepatitis. His homebound teacher realized very quickly that my dad did not know his alphabet and set out to teach him how to read. This one teacher handed my dad a gift. And my dad passed this gift, this love for reading, to me.
As a mom, I learned when my kids were young that they needed to hear my voice telling a story. While they were in elementary school, I gave up e-books so that my daughters could see me read - and have no doubts that I was reading and not playing on my tablet. The moments of reading to my girls are priceless treasures that will never be taken from me.
Brain scientists tell us that something happens in the brains of children who read with adults. A child’s language skills improve when they are read to, and by the time they enter kindergarten, they have nearly 300,000 more words in their vocabulary than their peers. Also, a child’s social and emotional skills are strengthened when a parent reads with them.
Third grade is the year that students begin reading to learn, instead of learning to read. Studies have proven that third-grade reading proficiency is a predictor of later academic success. Students who read on grade level by third grade are less likely to drop out of high school.
At FACS, I have been tracking our reading scores. I am so proud to tell you that 97% of our third graders are reading at or above grade level. That is a track record that reflects parents who read with students and teachers who encourage reading. Thank you for being parents who read with their children - and put up with my silly dress-up week to help encourage students to be lifelong readers.
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