March month to celebrate reading

Back in 1998, the National Education Association launched an event called “Read Across America,” which has become “the nation’s largest celebration of reading,” according to its website.

Few would argue this, and it’s grown over the years to provide year-round activities, ideas, and resources to aid teachers in motivating students to read more.

Since March is the birth month of Dr. Seuss, many schools showcase “Read Across America” at this time of year. Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, is one of the most widely recognized figures in children’s literature. Although he had a rich and varied career as a cartoonist, writer, illustrator, film-maker — and even more — he’s best known for his signature children’s books, written in rhyme: “The Cat in the Hat;” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and many more.

For this year’s “Read Across America” celebration, teachers from schools across our district invited parents, community members, and colleagues to come and read aloud to students. Readers could choose their own favorite book, or teachers would provide books to read.

I had the honor of reading at several different elementary schools, and, frankly, what a breath of fresh air to spend time in a classroom reading to students. Their utter honesty, excitement, and appreciation was a refreshing reminder of why those of us who are not daily in the classroom do what we do elsewhere in the district.

Working regularly with technology, I had a couple of digital selections of classic books on a mobile device, which we were able to connect to the classroom projector, so we could share the brightly colored illustrations larger-than-life for students. The idea of combining favorite books with today’s technology is always a great way to connect to today’s students.

Reading is a foundational essential for every other subject, and we’re so grateful to our teachers who so creatively fold in innovative ways to reinforce this with students. Since reading has become more informational than recreational in today’s world, an event such as this read-aloud supports the notion of the powerful concept of storytelling. Sharing a story aloud connects us, and, however fleeting, there’s a feeling of time standing still as reader and listeners step into other worlds to share an experience.

Perhaps Dr. Seuss said it best: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

Cindy Kleyn-Kennedy is the instructional technology coordinator for Clovis Municipal Schools. She can be reached at:

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