NEA's Read Across America
Celebrating Dr. Suess' Birthday
The idea was simple. Back in 1997 the National Education Association created a national day to celebrate reading by encouraging people to stop what they're doing and share a book with a child. Why? Because reading is the key to lifelong learning.
For Kansas NEA leaders and members, dreaming up the idea of a reading day was easy. The question: how do we get the public engaged? With members, local communitites and the media, KNEA's Read Across Kansas encourages the public to read and learn.
In celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday every March, KNEA encourages everyone to look at Kansas in a different way. "Architecture, art, commerce, cuisine, music, customs, geography, history, people... Kansas - It's as big as you think and it's definitely worth reading about," said KNEA President Blake West.
The theme for 2008: Parents. Parnterships. The Power of Reading. KNEA is challenging Kansas public schools students to create a poster about reading.
KNEA asks everyone to take a literary tour of Kansas. (See resources at right ) Read about the people and places of the Sunflower State. To help do that, KNEA partnered with the Kansas Department of Tourism, area reenactors, various local Chambers of Commerce and museums.
KNEA has worked with the musicians across the state, local museums and chambers of commerce, the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, NASA, Kansas State University, George Brett, University of Kansas, the Kansas High School Rodeo Association, among others. Supporting our efforts are Cox Communications, the Kansas Association of Broadcasters, school and local libraries and many community groups.
From Elkhart to Atchison and St. Francis to Baxter Springs, readers all over Kansas rev up for the largest statewide reading event. Thousands of kids and adults participate every year in everything from poetry slams and reader theaters to reading parades and community leader "read-ins". There are events like the "infamous" Bodacious Book-Cart Drill Team. Organized by KNEA member and librarian Christie Snyder, this highly acclaimed drill team of teachers, two bankers and a local business owner performed for the St. John Jubilee Parade, "booging" their carts adorned in READ posters around the town square in astoundingly meticulous form.
"It's events like this that show our students that we adults think reading is important…and fun," West said.
Sponsored by the NEA and Dr. Seuss Enterprises along with 45 national partner organizations, "Read Across" asks Americans, young and old, to open a book and celebrate reading. NEA's Read Across America is a year-long program designed to get kids excited about reading that culminates every year on Dr. Theodor "Ted" Seuss' birthday. Reading events take place in literally every school district in Kansas every year. Events in all 50 states annually attracted more than 45 million readers of all ages.
Find information and links on the NEA Web site: www.nea.org/readacross. You can also pledge to participate and sign up for NEA's free E-newsletter. You'll also find "Lea con NEA," a new program designed to reach out to Spanish-speaking students.
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