Why I Read: Katherine Bosley, Youth Services Coordinator

By Katherine Bosley

Somewhere in our library’s many incarnations and remodelings a tiny door was built, and all four feet of it have driven the children of Shelburne to distraction ever since. Discovering what lies beyond that wee little threshold is the fervent goal of many a young patron. The clincher is no one on staff will tell, which is because, until it’s opened, everything and anything lies beyond it. Perhaps it’s a broom closet, or perhaps the Queen of Hearts is back there furiously demanding her roses be painted red.

Here at the library, part of our job is to inspire readers, and reading is about possibility. They say curiosity killed the cat, but I think it also breeds avid readers, and truth be told, cats are not my thing so a universe heavy on readers and light on felines is okay by me. I read, because until proven otherwise, every wardrobe is a portal, every boot a portkey, and no break in the hedge or rabbit hole should remain unexplored.

Why I Read: Marti Fiske, Director of the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library

By Marti Fiske

I wanted to be a reader from a very, very young age. (See photo above.) But once I started school I had problems learning how. The teachers knew that I didn’t have any learning disorder. I would do well in small group work, but not so well in larger groups.  It wasn’t until the school nurse visited our classroom mid-way through first grade for general eye exams that they figured out the problem. I couldn’t see the chalkboards and flash cards in the distance. After my seat was moved to the front of the room and I got glasses my reading skills took off.

I grew up in the small farming community of Fairfield, Vermont (population 1,493 in 1980).  I don’t remember having a library in my school until I was in junior high, and that was tiny. There was no public library in town then. The nearest library was 20 minutes away in St. Albans. My family didn’t use that library because for many years we only had one car and my dad took it to work. My family had to make every dollar stretch. Buying a new book was always a special occasion. Somehow though, there was always reading material around.

My father read the newspaper daily and had trade magazines related to his work. He had a long row of books, mostly history and a few classics, in shelves tucked under the short knee-wall in his den. My mom had a small collection of paperback novels, mostly science fiction, over her side of the bed in a built-in headboard shelf. The school offered quarterly newsletters from which I could order a few inexpensive paperbacks. Every few months we might make a trip to the bookstore in St. Albans. I saved up money from birthdays, my paper route and babysitting. Eventually I would have a small collection of Trixie Belden mystery books. I loved those books so much that I decided to save them for the next generation in my family. My whole collection fit into a brown shopping bag. I eventually passed the collection along to my nieces, but by then Harry Potter and fantasy was all the rage. I’m not sure that they were ever read.

Why I Read: Stern Center Instructor, Shaun Stephens

By Shaun Stephens

My reasons for reading are as varied as the things that I read. I read to learn; I also read not to learn. I read to escape; I read not to escape. A favorite reading material for me is the “how-to” book or article: how to replace a toilet valve assembly, wire a 3-pole outlet, build a treehouse, make a woodcut, throw a boomerang. Most recently, I wanted my apple tree to produce more apples, so I have looked up how to control apple scab, codling moths, watercore, flyspeck, and sooty blotch. Who knew there were so many afflictions on apple trees? There is so much out there to discover. Stargazing, tree identification, orienteering, building a duct-tape wallet: the sky’s the limit! I have to try to corral my sometimes wandering attention.

But I also read not to learn; I want to lose myself in a good story. The latest adult fiction I read was The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. I loved the combination of magical realism, supernatural elements, historical fiction, and suspense. Run by Ann Patchett was an improbable but fascinating story of families intersecting in the wake of a car accident. The author made the girl protagonist so real I felt I had known her for years. I did not learn any specific things in these stories. I just experienced the pull and the joy of a good story.

Why I Read: Stern Center Communications Coordinator, Allison Provost

By Allison Provost

                                                                                                                                                    Photo by Paodoruvel

            Reading for me has always been about self development and exploration. As I’ve matured, my library has matured with me and has reflected my evolving interests. Throughout my life, books and their characters have acted as constant companions and are as beloved and influential as the friends and family members whom I cherish. I can easily say that some of the individuals I respect the most, fictional or not, I have met purely on the pages of a well written book: Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games series, Pat Summit after reading her biography entitled Sum It Up, Sherlock Holmes in any Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story, and Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird just to name a few.

I believe that as long as we are attentive and thoughtful enough to take advantage of them, opportunities exist all around us that help us learn more about ourselves. As Glinda the Good Witch sang in the musical Wicked, “I've heard it said, that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn, and we are led, to those who help us most to grow, if we let them.” The same goes for books; they are meant to teach us. However, they are not just intended to teach us about the vastness of the universe, the creatures that lie beneath the ocean’s surface, or which general did that thing, on that battlefield, that one time, in 1779 in Georgia. Books are meant to teach us about ourselves, and I find great reward in that.

            In my early years, I read a lot of fables. Reading a story with a moral lesson (not to mention adorable animals that could talk) always interested me and helped me shape my set of beliefs as a child. To this day, The Boy Who Cried Wolf still comes to mind when I think about how dangerous lying can be.

As I grew up, I increasingly noticed myself finding value in certain character traits and challenging myself to identify my stances on certain issues. I try to use stories as a way to improve my critical thinking skills, exercise empathy, and discover what character traits I value in others, as well as what traits I strive to exhibit myself. Therefore, I find that many of the characteristics I identify as important to me in a book character tend to align with the characteristics of people I wish to befriend. In addition, I observe certain unfavorable character traits in a book that I may see in myself, reflect on them, and work on remedying the situation. Often when reading a book, I find myself wondering, “What would I do in this scenario? Would I do what the protagonist did or would I change the storyline?” I do everything I can to make every story, even an unrealistic fictional story, applicable to my life and my personal growth.

As easy as it is to become complacent with a book and read it purely for its entertainment purposes, which is fine to do sometimes, I would also challenge readers to take the time to find personal value in the message. Even that lighthearted, silly story about a girl and her dog offers an opportunity to learn something about oneself. Every time you turn the page you get a little closer to understanding your own mental memoir. So have fun, keep reading, and keep growing! 

Allison Provost is the Communications Coordinator at the Stern Center. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication & Social Interaction from Oswego State University in New York. She lives in Ferrisburgh and enjoys hiking, kayaking, and snowboarding.

Why I Read: Abi, Student Assistant at the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library

by Abi, Student Assistant at the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Age 16 

Pedro Ribeiro Simoes

As part of an on-going blog series, Why I Read, we are asking people in our Stern Center community why it is that they love reading? How did they get started? Why is it so special to them? This week, we have the story of one of our local public library's student assistants. She talks about why being a reader is important to her and how the library has helped expand her love of books.

Whenever I think of a calm relaxing day, I think of sitting on the beach with a book in my hand. Books tend to be a great temporary escape from any stresses in my life. I read because the action in a story is exciting to me and often gives me a chance to think of what I'd do in similar situations. Whenever I read, I feel at ease. Sitting down to read a book is also scientifically proven to make people more engaged in their life. The National Endowment of the Arts did a study that says that those who are avid readers tend to be engaged in current events.

Why I Read: Stern Center Instructor, Sandy Boyer

by Sandy Boyer

Photo by Geralt

Marcus Pfister's book, The Rainbow Fish, Sam McBratney's Guess How Much I Love You, and Shel Silverstein's poetry book, The Light in the Attic, are three of the favorites that my now 16-year-old teen recalls as his favorite reads as a young child. Rainbow Fish shares his scales after much hesitation and as a result, becomes the happiest fish in the sea. Little Nutbrown Hare poses the question, "Guess how much I love you?" to Big Nutbrown Hare to make sure his parent is listening. The poetic lines of Wild Strawberries, "Are Wild Strawberries really wild? Will they scratch an adult, will they snap at a child?" consider possibilities of taming your wild strawberry in a most figurative manner. 

Reading is a most fun and creative way to communicate, share life lessons, investigate and question, and just spend time having fun with young children and older ones, as well. It is these special times which begin to nurture and develop the confidence that is needed to grow and succeed.

Create a Reading Habit

by Suzanne Loring

Bedtime stories are a long-standing family tradition in my family. Growing up I was read to every night before bed, a chapter here, a story there, and now do the same for my two boys who are three and five. Each night after brushing their teeth, my boys pick a couple of books off the bookshelf and the three of us hunker down in one of the big beanbag chairs we have sitting on the floor. We have a great time making truck noises, turning the pages, and pointing out funny things in the pictures. It’s important to me that we are carrying on a family tradition and having a lot of fun together, with books, every night before bed.

Creating a daily reading routine with your child is more than just fun: It helps build vocabulary and listening skills, develops your child’s imagination, and encourages a love of reading. It also creates quality time between reader and listener and can be a wonderful conversation starter. And in thinking about your child’s future a 2007 study by The National Endowment for the Arts, To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence, found that children who read for enjoyment score higher on reading and writing tests and have greater success later in life. Talk about a win-win-win situation.

If bedtime stories are your thing, that’s great. But bedtime isn’t the only time to make reading an integral part of life at home. Here are some ideas to get you and your kids reading together throughout the day:

1. Let your kids pick the books they want you to read to them or that they would like to read themselves. If it’s a topic they are interested in, they will have more fun listening or reading about it.

2. Read a chapter a day. Choose a time of day that works best for you. For many it may be bedtime, like it is for me, but for others it may be over the breakfast table or winding down after dinner. Read one chapter aloud (for younger kids, choose one book to read aloud). Setting aside a special time of day to read encourages kids to look forward to reading each day and helps create a reading routine.

Book Magic

by Bren Alvarez, Stern Center Parent

The “not learning to read thing” kind of creeps up on you slowly. For my son and me, it was like this:

We loved to read together. Well, actually, I read to him, and he loved his books.

Our shelves were overflowing with books. “Will you read to me?” I would ask him. “No, I like it when you read to me,” he would answer. “That’s ok,” I would think. Then I would tell him, “I’ll read to you. I like to read to you and soon you will be in Kindergarten and you will be reading on your own.”

Then there was Kindergarten and lots of new things to learn and new books to read. I read to him and he loved the new books.

“Will you read to me?” I would ask him. “No, I like it when you read to me,” he would answer. “That’s ok,” I would think. Then I would tell him. “I’ll read to you. I like to read to you and soon you will be in first grade and you will be reading on your own.”

The school conference was so reassuring: Kids learn to read at their own pace and boys, well, boys, they often learn to read later. He is a bright and inquisitive boy. English is his second language and he works hard in his ELL group.

And then there was first grade and second grade and nothing changed. There were lots of new things to learn and new books to read. I read to him and he loved the new books. The school conference was reassuring.

And then there was third grade. But, in third grade they aren’t really learning to read. They are reading to learn. And I still read to him.

Dyslexia: Failure is Not an Option

by Brittany Lovejoy

Brittany Lovejoy and her children with Vermont Governor, Peter Shumlin

I wish I would have known what was going on when my eldest daughter, Madeline, started learning to read. She hated it. She loved all of her other subjects but reading was painful. She used to hide under the table to avoid it. The most frustrating thing about this was that the school kept telling me that Madeline was fine. I was confused and bewildered. I knew that she needed more help than what she was getting. After years of research, we finally realized that Madeline has dyslexia.

Dyslexia runs in our family. I have it. My husband has it. All four of my children have it. Ever since Madeline started having trouble with reading I have been researching, advocating and fighting for my kids to get them all the support needed to allow them to succeed.

For Madeline, we hired tutors and even hired a professional advocate to help support and move us along. I’m happy to say that we are finally seeing results. Over this past summer she worked one-on-one with a tutor every day, twice a week with an instructor from the Stern Center and three times a week with a Wilson-trained tutor from her school. She is now on her way to overcoming her reading difficulties.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have known that our twins, Rita and Julia, were also likely to be challenged with dyslexia. In my research I had learned that people are genetically predisposed to dyslexia so their chances of developing it were higher. And, by two years of age the twins were already showing heavy speech articulation issues and as time went on they had a very difficult time with sound letter confusion. By the time they reached first grade I found myself in a similar spot with them as I had experienced with Madeline. The public school was unable to meet their needs.

Thursday Thoughts: Interesting Literacy and Learning Links Round-Up

Brain Teaser:
 
This one has caused a lot of debate! What do you think?
 
Take a new test aimed at the world’s English Language Learners. Wondering how your English skills stack up? Try the sample questions at the end of the article on testing ELL students and see how you would fare. Do you agree or disagree with the answers?

Interesting Literacy and Learning Links:
 
This is awesome! Through Your Child’s Eyes. It’s one thing to read about how a learning or attention issue can affect your child. It’s another thing to see it through your child’s eyes. Experience firsthand how frustrating it can be when your hand won’t write what your brain is telling it to write. Find out why it can be so hard to complete a simple task even when you’re trying to pay attention. Experience it yourself. National Center for Learning Disabilities.

Thursday Thoughts: Cool Literacy and Learning Links Round-up

Brain Teaser:
Can you divide a cake in eight pieces with three cuts?    (Find answer below).
                                                                                                                                                                           
Cool Literacy and Learning Links:
Teaching Banned Books During Banned Books Week. While some parents want certain books removed from schools, teachers are remembering the important reasons to keep them in the classroom. Huffington Post, September 25, 2014. 

Read slowly to benefit your brain and cut stress. At least 30 minutes with a book or e-book helps. The Wall Street Journal, September 16, 2014.

Why So Many Kids Can’t Sit Still In School Today. Children are not nearly moving enough, and it is really starting to become a problem. Washington Post.

10 Great Books to Read Aloud with Young Children

 

Stern Center’s Building Blocks for Literacy® program teaches early care and education providers as well as parents how to foster early literacy skills in children. Our Building Blocks coordinator, Brenda Buzzell, has compiled a list of books that are not only fun to read with young children, but also helpful in promoting the three focus areas of the Building Blocks program: Shared Book Reading, Phonological Awareness and the Speech-to-Print connection.

Shared Book Reading: Reading with your child rather than to your child is the key here. Making reading interactive by asking questions about the story and talking about the pictures is not only a great way to connect with your child, but key to helping your children develop language, build comprehension and learn more about print. Here are 10 books to help promote Shared Book Reading:

• Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
• Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
• Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
• HUG by Jez Alborough
• Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
• Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza by Philemon Sturges
• The Mitten by Jan Brett
• Stone Soup by Ann McGovern
• Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens
• Whose Mouse Are You? by Robert Krauss 

Thursday Thoughts: Interesting Learning and Literacy Links

Brain Teaser:

A man is headed to a mountain along with a lion, a goat and a basket of vegetables. On the way, he needs to cross a river and the boat can only carry two things at a time. If he takes the vegetables, the lion will eat the goat. If he takes the lion, the goat will eat the vegetables. How does he cross the river?

(Answer at the end of post. Find more teasers like this on Buzzle.)

Interesting Learning and Literacy Links:

Homework in Elementary School Divides Educators. "PDF"—play, downtime, and family time—has replaced homework for kindergartners, 1st graders, and 2nd graders at one Chicago elementary school. Education Week, September 15, 2014.

Ted Talk: Rita Pierson, Every Kid Needs a Champion. Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don’t like.’” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level. May 2013.

5 Games for Busy Parents to Help Their Young Children Learn to Read

Last week, in my Sharing Books, Building Brains blog post, I wrote about the difficulty I have had with not being able to send my kids to preschool due to scheduling and lack of child care. It is a worry to me that my kids may fall behind their peers who are able to attend preschool. I am not an educator and nor do I know how or what to teach my children to ensure they are ready for kindergarten. Making sure they have the early literacy skills needed to become successful readers tops that worry list.

I am lucky to work with many experts in just this area, who have helped me come up with activities to help with early reading that are fun and not overwhelming to me as a mom. They are games that can be played for a couple of minutes here or a couple of minutes there, don’t take a lot of explaining and usually leave my children asking for more.

This week’s five games are all about raising your child’s Phonological Awareness or helping them understand that words are made up of smaller parts. Words are made up of syllables, syllables are made up of letters, letters have individual sounds.

Please note, your kids do not have to know that this is what they are learning, it will automatically happen while you are playing the following games:

Clean It Up!
When it is time to pick up all the toys that have become scattered about you can make it fun and educational. Tell your child that you see something that needs to be picked up and it starts with the letter B, /b/ (make the sound a b makes), B. Your child can then start by picking up the ball or the bulldozer or the book. Keep going until the room is clean.

This game helps children think about the individual sounds in words, by isolating initial sounds.  

Sharing Stories, Building Brains

 

When conversations surrounding the necessity of high-quality preschool became a daily occurrence in the national media, I had mixed emotions. On the one hand, I was happy. I am a strong supporter of education and these early childhood programs are beneficial to our children and communities. On the other hand, it scared me because I am unable to send my kids to preschool.
 
While the town I live in has an amazing preschool program, the hours are challenging to coordinate with our family’s work schedules. Kids go to school four days a week from 10-2:15 and, unfortunately, at this point in time, there is no care before or after to cover early mornings or later afternoons.

The fact that my children are unable to attend preschool has drastically shifted my perspective on educational responsibility. Preparing our children for school now falls solely to me and my husband.

As a reader, I have made sure that books are an integral part of my children’s upbringing. We read together every day and most nights before bed. Is this enough? I know that reading with your child can alone build vocabulary skills, help children become comfortable with books, serve as a great conversation starter and help provide quality time as a family. But, does this prepare my child for kindergarten?

Thursday Thoughts: Interesting Literacy and Learning Links from the Past Week

BRAIN TEASER:

How Well Do You Know Classic Literature? From Jane Austen to Alice in Wonderland, how many details can you remember from these beloved books?
 
INTERESTING LINKS:  

Dear Daddy in Seat 16C. One mother’s perspective on how the kindness of a man she and her autistic daughter shared a row with on a plane made their lives better. Kindness Blog, Kindness Changes Everything.

Grant Provides Money for Education Study. The grant marks a joint venture between Dartmouth and the Stern Center for Language and Learning and is a two year project that provides instruction for students who struggle with learning to read but do not qualify for special education. The Dartmouth, August 15, 2014.

Thursday Thoughts: Interesting Literacy and Learning Links From the Past Week

BRAIN TEASER:
 
Glance at the picture below. Then stare at it and see what happens. Cool, right?
 

By arranging a series of patterns, images, and colors strategically, or playing with the way an object is lit, the brain can be tricked into seeing something that isn't there. In this case the frontal view of this man’s face can be interpreted in the brain as a profile view instead. Do you see it?

Where in the World is Brenda "Building Blocks" Buzzell?

Brenda just returned from Orlando, FL. Numbers, year to date 2014, of children positively impacted by Building Blocks for Literacy® program: over 1,000!

Where's Brenda follows our Building Blocks Coordinator, Brenda Buzzell, around the United States as she works with preschool teachers, and early care providers and coordinators to teach them best practices for teaching early literacy skills to children ages three to five. www.buildingblocksforliteracy.org.


 

Thursday Thoughts: Cool Links and Interesting News

BRAIN TEASER

In honor of the World Cup taking place this week here is a logic puzzle for you: How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you, even if it doesn't bounce off anything? There is nothing attached to it, and no one else catches or throws it back to you. (Answer at the end of the blog.)

COOL LINKS AND INTERESTING NEWS

Why Free Play is the Best Summer School, The Atlantic, June 20, 2014. The more time children spend in structured, parent-guided activities, the worse their ability to work productively towards self-directed goals. Children who engage in more free play have more highly developed self-directed executive function. 

VPR's five-part series on early education in Vermont, Ready or Not, is airing this week and looking at early education on many levels from childcare to kindergarten all the way up to teaching the teacher.

Why I Read: Diagnostics Intake Coordinator, Greta D'Agostino

by Greta D'Agostino

“If you remain calm in the midst of great chaos, it is the surest guarantee that it will eventually subside”

― Julie Andrews Edwards, The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles

 

In first grade I remember being the only kid in my class that couldn’t tell my left from my right, couldn’t write the entire alphabet and couldn’t read. I even recall my teacher asking me at one point, late in the school year, “What is wrong with your brain?” When I came home from school that day, sobbing yet again, my mom sprung into action.

Within weeks my mom had me independently evaluated; it was the best thing that could have happened for me. The evaluation revealed that I was not only a capable learner, but gifted. My potential was high, if only I was taught in the right way for me, and given some time.

I began private instruction several times a week, which continued for the next few years. The fall of my second grade year brought a new teacher, who was much more patient with me, and was willing to provide some accommodations, despite the fact that I didn’t qualify for any services. She let me take longer to complete the books the class was reading and shortened writing assignments. I started out that year in the lowest reading group, and by the end of second grade I was in one of the middle reading groups.