International Literacy Day

On behalf of International Literacy Day, I want to share this article from the Washington Post about Anna Dewdney. Anna was the best selling author and illustrator of the Llama Llama books. She was also an outspoken advocate for children's literacy.

"By reading with a child, we are teaching that child to be human. When we open a book, and share our voice and imagination with a child, that child learns to see the world through someone else's eyes. I will go further and say that the child then learns to feel the world more deeply, becoming more aware of himself and others in a way that he simply cannot experience except in our laps, or in our classrooms, or in our reading circles." 

I couldn't agree with this more! As a teacher I plan multiple read alouds throughout my day, especially in the beginning of the school year where building a positive and respectful community is essential to creating a happy and healthy environment. The art of reading and being read to is being lost a bit with all the other STUFF expected of teachers these days. Teachers and parents- take the time to read TO and WITH your kids. It is extremely vital, now more than ever. 

Anna passed away at the age of 50 after a 15-month battle with brain cancer. In place of a proper funeral service, she wanted people to read to a child instead. She stressed that empathy was as important as literacy. Click here to read the full article.