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The Cat in the Hat, to put it bluntly, is one of the coolest cats around. Yeah, Dr. Seuss’ finest creation will mess your place up, but he’ll also come back to clean it up. He’s always up for a good time, and kids have a good time reading about him.
That’s why Read Across America Day – which was March 2, leading into Read Across America Week – has the perfect spokesbeing with the Cat in the Hat. One day I’m going to find such a costume and really impress kids with my height.
Friday was a great day for Read Across America – as opposed to coming in after Sunday church services – which started for me by reading to four classes at Martins Creek Elementary School as part of the Rotary Reads program. More than dozen volunteers from the Rotary Club of Murphy (like me) give an hour or more of their time once a month reading to students in kindergarten- through second-grade classes at Andrews, Martins Creek, Murphy, Peachtree and Ranger elementary schools; the books we read are then donated by the club to the classroom so students today and tomorrow can continue to enjoy the story.
On Friday afternoon, third-grade students from Peachtree Elementary School came to Murphy Town Hall at the invitation of Mayor Tim Radford for a Read Across America event, which he called “a big, fun party with books.” The kids heartily agreed.
“Reading is important because it helps you learn new things, sparks your imagination and takes you on adventures to faraway places – all without leaving your home or classroom,” he said. “By celebrating Read Across America, we remind everyone how fun and valuable reading can be.”
Radford remembered how his second-grade teacher at Murphy Elementary School – Jeannie Gaddis, who today serves on the Cherokee County Board of Education – got him to read and learn more by asking him to memorize the local phone book over a weekend. (To millennials, phone books were things toddlers sat on made out of paper that contained the address and telephone number of everyone in certain zip codes.) He couldn’t memorize those hundreds of pages, which was the point, because now he knew where to find the information.
Several local Rotarians were on hand for the fun event, including the mayor.
“Rotary members organize projects like building playgrounds, providing books to schools and helping families in need,” said Radford, a past president of the Murphy club. “By working as a team, they make the world a nicer place for everyone.”
Eddie Cook, pastor of Ogreeta Baptist Church and owner of Cook’s Supply Center in Murphy, sponsored refreshments and goody bags that included an autographed book for each student. He humbly shared that he didn’t learn how to read until he was age 29, so any students having trouble just need to “hang in there.”
That book was Stutters: A Book of Hope, which was written by local counselor and organic blueberry farmer Mary Ricketson, a strong candidate for poet laureate of Murphy if there was such a thing. As Ricketson read from her inspirational works and asked questions, several students could identify with her because they have had to deal with a stutter in their speech, too.
The kids also asked sharp questions and answered others in a way that let you know they were paying attention. I continue to be impressed by Cherokee County’s public school teachers and faculty, who are able to put aside distractions (like whether their school will be consolidated) and keep their focus on students – where it belongs.
Thanks to everyone playing a part in helping local children become the best they can be, which can’t happen without the ability to read. Unlike some things we learn in school – like, say, calculus – reading is a skill we will use every day for the rest of our lives.
David Brown is publisher of the Cherokee Scout. Call him at 828-837-5122 or email dbrown@cherokeescout.com.