One of my all time favorite books about reading aloud to children (besides the Read Aloud Handbook) is Reading Magic by Mem Fox. It is an easy read geared to parents. I have given it to all my friends who have had babies and used it in parenting book clubs. One of the reasons I love it so, is because of the 10 commandments Mem Fox gives parents. They may sound quite formal and much like "rules" but really they are suggestions on HOW to read aloud so that it is a joyful experience for both parent and child.

As we prepare for back to school night parents can become bombarded with so much information. Think carefully about what you want them to "take away". Since research says over and over again about the great impact reading aloud to children has on student reading achievement and school overall success, my "take away" for parents has always been to emphasize the importance of "READING ALOUD" and I repeat it again and again during the night and during the year. I even say, if there is one thing you remember about tonight, "Remember to READ ALOUD!"
 
We want to do the best as parents, but often we are busy, exhausted, and then told this and that to help our child. I believe if there was one thing all parents could do to help their children succeed in school and in life, it is to read aloud- read aloud and never stop, even when their children begin to read. The research is there to support this belief. 

Parents don't have to be "teachers" of reading to make an impact on their children's reading lives. They just have to make it part of their daily lives and full of happiness. It shouldn't be a "chore" at the end of the day. It should be a "We get to read together now!" activity that is special, sacred, and full of joy.

Below is the link to the Read Aloud Commandments. I invite you to share these with your parents and think of how you can integrate them yourselves. Balanced literacy has many components and one of them is just "story time" aka reading aloud. In fact research shows, students who have high growth in reading have a teacher who integrates reading aloud at least four times a day! 

It is a challenge to "fit it all in" but if parents and teachers are working together to foster that love of reading and make it happen throughout the day and through the evening, each and every day… we are bound to grow readers who love it and can't stop! And that is when the real magic begins...
http://memfox.com/for-parents/for-parents-ten-read-aloud-commandments/

These first few weeks of school I am so grateful I had the wonderful opportunity of reading to Pre-K, K, First and Second grade classrooms. I chose "Leo the Late Bloomer" by Robert Kraus to read to the Pre-kinders and Kindergartners and "A Fine, Fine, School" by Sharon Creech, to read to the first and second graders. Both are special books to me for as a Kinder, First, and Second grade teacher myself for many years, these books always played special roles.

With "Leo the Late Bloomer" I often used it at the beginning of the year with my students, especially right before goal setting conferences. It stirred great discussion about how we all are "blooming" or "learning" in our own way in our own time. The message that we all have different strengths and weaknesses and can always learn more helped to create a growth mindset and a respect for one another in our new learning community. Leo's message returned throughout the year as we all needed to continue to hear the message (myself included). And then, I always especially loved reading this book again at the end of year when we revisited our goals and through preparing for student led conferences we could see our growth and together we could truly shout, "I made it!" just like Leo does at the end of the book. I always loved seeing their smiles and pride shine in my student's faces as they shouted those words, for they each had truly bloomed in their own good time in their own way. And because all they had taught me I could truly shout, "I made it!" as well. 
Reading this book as a principal for the first time this year, I am excited to also see how each student, teacher, family, and educator (including myself) blooms this year in our own way in our own time. With the talent, dedication, and love of children I observe already, I can tell we all are going to shout "I made it!" loudly at the end of the year. I can't wait.

"A Fine, Fine, School" is a book I have always invited my principal into my classroom to read during those first few weeks. I have also purchased this book for each of my principal's as a gift because it gives such a good message on creating a balanced life, so important to the whole child, the whole teacher, and whole administrator. The message that if there is no balance and no time for ourselves, there is little learning and most importantly...no joy. When people are working all the time or in this story, children and teachers going to school on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, and all summer long...the laughter stops, the relationships strain, the circles under the eyes show from lack of sleep, and the smiles fade. The conversation about the importance of play and time to take care of ourselves always becomes clear to both the students who hear this story and the principal who reads this story.In this book the principal was so proud of the children, the teachers, and all the good learning, but learns that balance is essential to learning. 
This year as I read it as a principal for the first time, the message rang even clearer. We must make sure we ourselves lead balanced lives as educators for our students so that when we are here, we are really here, present, listening, and learning. 

We have a fine, fine school, with fine, fine students, and fine fine teachers. I am so proud. But don't worry, there will be no schools on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, or summer. -)


We have special books in our lives that have touched us. I invite you to take time to share these books that are special with you with your students. Good books to the begin the year are key! 

Here's to a fine, fine school year ahead and lots of blooming!