Reading Builds Character in Kindergarten

My Students

Everything I needed to learn, I learned in Kindergarten. I never really understood how true that really is until recently, when I began shifting my mind to teaching kindergarten next year! Kindergarten is the learning foundation, the building block for all learning. ABC's & 123's start the learning! For the past two years, I've taught second grade at a school where children are haunted every day by the terrors of their past, be it Hurricane Katrina of 2005 or the crime and turmoil they see and hear everyday. Our students are fighters. They work hard to achieve goals that others may think are too much for them, they strive to do the right things in life and to be the change our society needs.

This coming school year, I will be making my own professional change to teach kindergarten.

I'm very excited to reach out and embrace the new learners that will be entering my classroom. I am eager to teach them the love I've had all my life, the love of learning. The children coming into kindergarten next year are the babies that were born just after Hurricane Katrina. They are fresh, eager minds. It's my job to make them accomplished learners!

My Project

Next school year will be met with a lot of firsts, for me and my students. It will be my first year as a kindergarten teacher and for many, their first year in school. When I think back on my kindergarten year, I remember learning about books, reading and the excitement of having someone read a story to me. The stories I've requested for my classroom will allow me to teach character building and life lessons through storybooks designed for that purpose. My school does a lot of extra work to teach our students about character building but the little ones often get left out of the fun. These books will allow us to share with the 'big kids' what we learn about character building in our classroom. These books will also allow me to model comprehension strategies that students will use throughout their schooling as they become more avid readers.

Reading is the cornerstone of a good education.

Enlightened, excited readers tend to be more avid learners! I intend to do my best to make sure each and every child that enters my classroom is given the best opportunity to become a successful student. Your donation would be such a blessing and wonderful addition to the tools I use each day to teach the young minds of tomorrow.