World Read Aloud Day

I stopped by a kindergarten classroom this week and Cathy, the teacher, told me about a conversation she had with a couple of her students. One child, Hope, had done a fabulous job on a project and Cathy said, “You’re my first and last hope.”  Jesse, another kindergartener interjected, “She’s your only hope!”

Of course he didn’t understand the double meaning but it was a sweet and funny comment to hear from this serious little guy. And it got me to thinking about hope.

Recently, I’ve been scanning the website of LitWorld, a non-profit organization, which celebrates the power of words. They communicate such hope! One of their stated core values is; “We believe that all children have the right to read, to write, and to share their words to change the world.” LitWorld declared March 7^th as “World Read Aloud Day” and I passed on that message to my students and coworkers. (You can find out more about their organization here: http://litworld.org/ )

Take a look at some of the activities around our school that day. With 24 classrooms on our campus, I couldn’t get to every room but, I assure you, all the teachers at our school make reading a top priority.

One of our second grade students, Abigail, reading to a kindergarten group.

 

Cathy Wallace reading to her class.

Juan, reading to younger students.

Beth Kirkley, our resource specialist
carrying a heathy snack to young readers.

   Mary Heister, one of our school
secretaries reading with students.

  Ashley reading to younger kids.

Jim Blanton, a kindergarten teacher
who supplies his own class clown.

                                                    

Philip, another second grade student,

reading to a group of younger kids.

Marcia Douglas reading to her
kindergarten students.

 

Tonya Miller, our health aide, with a
group of kindergarten children.

Linda Stephens, school secretary
reading with students at her desk.

At the end of the day, Jesse’s words came back to me, “She is your only hope”. I couldn’t help but think, yes, she and all the other children in my care, and all the children across the world; they are our hope for the future. Those of us who are educators, parents, writers and illustrators of children’s literature can build on that hope by the transforming power of words and education.