Partners in Literacy (PiL) is a grassroots non-profit organization whose volunteers have served students in Greater Parkhill schools since 2011. PiL’s mission is to create communities or readers in schools. Their superpower is coaching volunteers to meet their reading “buddies” where they are. Through strong relationships and carefully chosen books, they boost school cultures so that every child can become a reader.
What do kids learn from books? The answer is everything. Name any topic, it is in a book: dinosaurs, birds, countries, airplanes, cars, plants, computers, textiles, ballerinas, soccer players, how to cook. Hearing a book read out loud engraves it in the memory.
Books are also a very good way to absorb language. (Like talking, but better.) Readers learn now to how to recognize categories- different genres, fiction and nonfiction. They learn patterns in spelling and punctuation. They can greatly increase their vocabulary. They learn about narrative arcs and how to approach informational texts. The list goes on.
But most of all-Partners in Literacy Reading Volunteers and their students have fun. Kids learn that books can be funny and they laugh with their volunteers. They learn that children’s books have beautiful art and they touch the drawings lovingly. They learn that there are people who look different than they do but have families and feelings that have are similar. They learn to ask questions and follow up in other sources. These are the stories that students will remember when they are grown and are having their own children
Books are the magic carpet to language and the world outside of ourselves.
Often young students think school is for those other kids, but not really for them, so they are not really motivated to notice, try, and remember. When a child has a kind adult sitting right next to them reading to them about interesting stuff like sports heroes or unicorns, the child is swept into realizing that school and reading is actually for them. If you are interested in joining with other like-minded adults in elevating kids’ lives by sharing books one hour a week during the school hours, please contact us at PiL 2011@partnersinliteracy.org