Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Dr. Judy Abbott, dean of Stephen F. Austin State University’s James I. Perkins College of Education, read the book “Quakers” by Liz Wong to a group of first grade students at the SFA Charter School during the annual Read for the Record Day on Oct. 19.
Read for the Record is the world’s largest shared reading experience and brings more than two million people together each year in classrooms, libraries, community centers and homes across the nation, according to the Jumpstart website. Jumpstart, a national early education organization working to help prepare children for kindergarten, began Read for the Record more than a decade ago in an effort to highlight the importance of building early literacy and language skills for every child, according to jstart.org.
“Sharing a read-aloud experience with engaging text allows for discussion connected to the text itself, the world beyond the text, and the readers and listeners,” Abbott said. “It is this talk that helps adults know more about how children make sense of the world and allows children to see different adults, professionals and community leaders read and enjoy the story. I am always grateful for these opportunities to connect with children through literature.”
Dr. Leah Kahn, SFA assistant professor in the Department of Elementary Education, read to children in the SFA Early Childhood Lab, and Nacogdoches Mayor Shelley Brophy and Dr. Pauline Sampson, professor in SFA’s Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership, read to students in Head Start. Nacogdoches Independent School District administrators also participated by reading at each elementary school.
Each year Phi Delta Kappa, a professional association for educators, sponsors this event by purchasing the selected book for participating schools.