Stirring a Passion for Reading Through Community Service
Marshall School Hosts Read-In
Volunteers, friends, and staff came on March 31, 2010 with books and miles of smiles. What better to share their passion for reading and to pass it on to the next generation, than to spend a brisk morning reading books together? Even Mother Nature seemed to smile on the event, when the light drizzle lightened up just enough for a quick assembly to introduce the guests.
Ms. C. Brotsky, Marshall School Principal, introduced the honored guests.
Among them were volunteers from Panda Express wearing cheerful red shirts that read, “Service,” an author, retired teachers who had taught for several years at Marshall school, and one of Marshall’s very own former students, Rosie Scobie, who attended when the school first opened. When introduced, she proudly held up five fingers and mouthed, “Since I was five years old!” She joined her granddaughter’s classroom, where her grand-daughter, Ms. Carr, works as a substitute teacher and student teacher with a second-grade classroom.
According to Microsoft.com’s 1997 article (1), “The Read In! is an event started by California-educator Jane Coffey in 1994 designed to promote reading.” As computer technician, Coffey used technology to talk about books with third graders in Turlock, California. The event now takes on a life of its own around the world, in 50 states, and in our local public schools.
A local author, Lynn Kelly, used both good old-fashioned story-telling and technology to promote writing as well as reading. She piqued the students’ interest by walking them back from the introduction assembly along with her pet brain. “My pet brain is always sniffing out good stories,” she said. She shared her picture book, a magazine story, and saved the best for last, her monster mystery. Kelly read aloud portions of her Monster Moon thriller, Curse at Zala Manor, which she co-authored with two other writers under the pseudonym BBH McChiller. Then she gave writing tips, such as, “Make your character suffer! It makes a great story,” and, “Writing is re-writing. We meet at Starbucks as we re-write our next release, The Secret of Haunted Bog.” Lynn passed out the address of Monster Moon’s website, and read a sneak-peek of a monster cyber-thriller. At the end of the thriller, a couple of students murmured, “Cool!” Another student, with a little urging, shared one of his writings, titled, Diary of a Toilet, with laughter all around.
Volunteers in every classroom sparked imagination and passion while reading aloud to young minds in every classroom. Thanks to Panda Express, friends and family, and a dedicated staff at Marshall School, children ages 5 to 85 made the connection – reading moves us, reading builds bridges in our community.
Marshall Volunteers Betty Jackman, Alicia Cuellar, Harriet Newman, Sonal Nadkarni, Rose Scobie, Mudita Sharma, Gladys Ng, Greg Silva, Tony Ramos, Lynn Kelly, Nina Madrid, Quang Tran, and Tina Wu.
Cloudia Pawluk is a substitute teacher with the Garvey School District who often volunteers for Read-In and other events. She hosts a mini-Read-In every night before tucking her three little people and a dog into bed in San Dimas.
(1) Source:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/1997/May97/READINPR.mspxA brief note from The National Council of Teachers of English
http://www.ncte.org/action/aariHave you held a Read-In? If so, Send a brief description to
http://www.ncte.org/action/aari of how you proceeded from start to finish and what your experience was like.
Other participants might find it of interest and it might get others to host their own Read-In.
You can also send articles from newspapers, school notices, church flyers or any other information pertaining to your Read-In.
