Published: August 09, 2006 10:27 am            

Community can help teach importance of reading

The opening of school is always an exciting time as the hot, humid days of summer give way to the rhythms of a new school year. Soon the sound of children will once again fill the hallways and classrooms of our schools with their voices and enthusiasm.

This fall as the new school year begins; nearly 43 million American children will enter their local public school to continue developing essential skills in reading, writing, mathematics, science and history.

The start of a new school year offers every school and community an opportunity to renew its commitment to what is important for children to learn. For more than 100 years the role of public schools has been shaped and molded by changing expectations and the changing needs of our society.

As a result, what is taught in public schools has been expanded to include a wide variety of programs such as consumer education, career education, special education, drug and alcohol abuse education, sex education, HIV/AIDS education, environmental education, global education, multi-cultural education, anti-smoking education and character education. Although the role and expectations for public schools have expanded, the primary goal of every public school remains the same — to provide all children with the education they need to compete successfully in our society.

The ability to read well is one fundamental skill public schools strive to help all children develop. A child who cannot read well has little chance to succeed in a world where the printed word permeates every aspect of daily life.

Reading, however, is a skill that cannot be developed by schools alone. In order for all children to learn to read well requires the help of their parents and the support of their community. The most effective thing parents could do to help their children become strong readers is to read aloud with them 20 minutes a day from the day they are born until they enter school.

Once children enter school, parents can continue to help their children learn to read by providing daily opportunities to practice their reading skills. Parents truly are their children’s first teacher and making reading a part of a daily routine will help their children develop strong reading skills.

An old African proverb claims it “takes a village to raise a child” and it does take an entire community to create the expectation that reading well is a priority for all children. There are many opportunities for community groups to support reading, such as encouraging parents to read to their children, forming partnerships with schools in support of reading activities, volunteering as a tutor or mentor in an area school, making books available to children in churches, recreation centers and doctors’ offices and by supporting the local children’s library — little actions that communicate an expectation of encouraging and helping all children read well as a community priority.

By working together we can reach the goal of helping every child read well. Helping all children read well opens the door for children to share a world of ideas, thoughts and stories with scientists, mathematicians, historians, poets and athletes.

Helping all children read well will motivate, inspire, educate and nurture the minds of children providing them with the skills necessary to take advantage of the opportunities that exist around them.

Working together we emphasize what is important for children to learn as they start a new school year.



Randy Clegg is superintendent of the Clinton School District.

        

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