Rotary Recognizes Readers
Our fellow Rotarian Dr. Wendy Doty, with well deserved pride, presided over our Program, presenting for recognition the children in our elementary schools who have improved the most in reading in this year. Improvement is measured by the number of grade levels they have moved up in reading.
Assisted by Jerlilyn King-Brown, assistant superintendent of educational services, Wendy read the citations which she herself had written, full of enthusiasm and appreciation for the difficulties these young readers had overcome.
The students were accompanied by their principals, and for each there was a bio with enconiums such as, “began below grade level and learned to read aloud. She has organized her thoughts and at the same time her spelling improved.”
Other insightful bits of praise were, “worked at learning English, went up five grade levels, built up confidence and helped others. And he has learned to focus positively, and his desire to improve has resulted in raising his reading skills by two grade levels”
The value of being able to read was shown in one student who “arrived from Viet Nam speaking no English, and has been an inspiration to all, improving by two grade levels.” Another young student “had a family loss and became withdrawn. But with reading improvement she began to participate in class again.” One can imagine the home stories behind these words.
These are “stellar readers in reading’s constellation,” one Doty-written description went. Everyone has had his or her young life turned around, by mastering the ability to read. We could see what meaning that has in their lives. All this was achieved by their opportunity to meet the Downey Unified Schools facilities, counselors, and facilitators such as interpreters, English-as Second-Language specialists, and sympathetic and capable classroom teachers.
For both pre-school and elementary children, the key phrase to listen for is, “I can read that.” Our tax dollars are being spent in the best possible way, handing all our children the opportunity to master life-long skills and to overcome life-long frustration and failure by doing so. Hats off to the Downey Unified School District, ranging from the office and desk of Superintendant Wendy Doty, all the way down to the classrooms.