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| Youth Director Corin Schick is among the Dargaville Rotarians who regularly help the children with their reading |
Most
of us have read to youngsters - children, grandchildren or even great
grandchildren - perched on a knee or sitting at our feet.
But
the Rotary Club of Dargaville, NZ is reversing the traditional role and
each Wednesday up to a dozen members go to Selwyn Park School where the
children read to them.
Students
at this lowest Decile 1 primary school, who have been identified as
would benefit from extra reading practice, pair off with the Rotarians
in the school library and spend 45 minutes reading to them from
journals and books matched to their abilities.
The
project was the brainchild of Rotarian Colin Patterson who has since
moved to Kaikohe where the local Rotary club is benefiting from his
enthusiasm.
It
began at the start of the last school year and the children's
enthusiasm as they wait for their Rotarian, and during reading,
indicates they are
really enjoying it.
Also,
both Rotarians and teachers report a boost in the youngsters' reading
ability and confidence, and test at half-year showed that all had
improved
- some by 1.5 years of reading ability. As a result the programme is
likely to be ongoing.
Dargaville Rotary President Brian Burnett has no doubts about the value of this programme. "The pleasure we have seen in
their faces as they read - and understand what they're reading - has been our greatest reward," Brian said.
Selwyn Park School Principal Vern Stevens agrees.
"It
has made a huge difference to the kids who really look forward to
Wednesday's reading," he commented, "and so do the teachers because the
children come back
to class buzzing."
Dargaville
Rotary has always placed strong emphasis on youth, participating in
both year-long International Youth Exchanges and the shorter Rotary
Australia-New Zealand Exchanges, hosting the annual Northern Wairoa
Primary School’s Speech Contest, providing tertiary scholarships to
deserving students and offering local young people a variety of
opportunities, like Road Safety Education (formerly Rotary
Youth Driver Awareness) to further their life experience and education.
The
Rotary Club of Dargaville was also the major sponsor for the Careers
Expos organised by Kaipara Employment For Youth which aim to match
school
leavers with work in their own district.
Words: Viv Trounson, Rotary Club of Dargaville, NZ
