Hello to All:
Welcome! This is my first blog and I can’t think of a more important topic than reading to your children as early as possible … even when they are infants.
My wife and I read to both our children from the time they were born until they were almost 11 years old. Not only were they good readers but they became very good writers and most importantly were able to excel in school because reading supports and accelerates the developmental process.
Reading also has a positive, cumulative effect on comprehension on many levels across an entire school curriculum. It bolsters self-esteem and confidence which has a positive effect on personal relationships.
This is why I support the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and volunteer my time whenever I can to library story telling festivals and camps for underprivileged kids. These children can easily slip between the cracks of the public school system because in many cases they don’t have the support and encouragement they need at home to read and develop good study habits.
This can also happen in a school system with resources. I know this first-hand because I had Dyslexia as well as a second grade reading level in 5th grade. I was passed through each grade level until an astute teacher saw that I wasn’t understanding any of the lessons. I felt stupid and had zero self-esteem. I wasn’t read to at home, nor was I encouraged to read.
It was very difficult to catch-up but after intensive intervention at a school that specialized in reading and a teacher that took me under his wing, I finally excelled in both reading and writing and graduated in the top 10 of my class. I went on to minor in English at college and enjoyed a successful career in media, advertising and corporate communications. I truly believe much of that pain could have been avoided with consistent early reading.
Today’s world is fraught with the distractions of social media, video games, smart phones and computers. This is why the mission of Sightline Media Entertainment is to create stories that harken back to a simpler time, where imagination reigns and the most wonderful adventures come to life in your own backyard. This mission is front and center in every book I write on what we call the “Doodle Page”.
We, as parents, can support creative play, imagination and reading which will, in turn, help nurture and support our kids throughout their elementary, middle and high school years.
Thanks for joining me on this journey!
dmjack
