Dear Editor
Now that children are back in school there is a lot of interest in “Raise a Reader”, a great program that has been operating here for a number of years.
As a former teacher, I cannot begin to emphasize, just how important reading is to all children. However, one shouldn’t just send them to school to learn to read, but should also encourage them long before they first enter a classroom.
As parents, my husband and I had a regular time after supper every evening, when all of us would sit down after supper and read for pleasure. Everyone had their own reading material. We also read to our children, even when they were able to read the materials themselves. That provided a sense of bonding, but also allowed them to create images of the story without having to struggle over unfamiliar words. Now they are adults, they all enjoy reading and recall well those half hour sessions we spent after dinner.
Books are expensive to buy but we are fortunate here in town as there are many sources where one can get books for the children free or at a very low cost. Both thrift stores sell books. There are free books in the “red bookcases” at the credit union and at Safety Mart. I am not sure of the pricing of books in Second Time Around but the average price of our childrens’ books is 10 cents. Why not take your children with you to help pick out a story they would enjoy and let them see you picking up books to read yourself?
Marilyn Bueckert
Ashcroft