The Open Book

Well, dear reader, that is a good question!

When you open a book, you…  

open literacy, 

open interest, 

open minds, 

open imagination, 

open creativity, 

open hearts,

open conversations, 

open critical thinking, 

open possibilities, 

open worlds, 

open the world. 

To sum it up in a cheesy way, books can open opportunities we never dreamed of. 

I am not a professional writer or a famous influencer, but I do have over 13 years of experience that I want to share in hopes of unlocking the creative powerhouses inside each and every one of our little guys. Learning to read can be a rollercoaster, especially when you are trying to teach the kids who give up easily, think they can’t do it, don’t try, or get frustrated at the drop of a hat. But HOLY MOLY do I ever get goosebumps when those same kids have that AH-HA moment and realize they just de-coded a word that they have been struggling with or pieced together a sentence all by themselves. It energizes me and makes it soooo worth every moment of frustration, holding my breath trying not to blurt out answers, and huffing like a dragon! In those moments, nothing exists except that spark of excitement and our pride for their accomplishments. That determination to get it right, crack the code or make it to the end of the sentence is when their potential starts to shine through. It makes me incredibly grateful to have been a witness to them challenging and proving to themselves that they can solve problems using their own grit.

This is where I come in. I want to empower kids to read and foster their love of books. To do this, I am an open book and will share my tips and tricks for a more interactive way to practice reading. Like using baggies of sand or rice to practice letters, following a treasure map to keep them engaged while studying site words, or unscrambling sentences to find the story. I will also touch on conversation activities and games that can foster kids’ creativity and critical thinking. Like cutting a story’s beginning, middle and end scenes up, mixing them around and having to re-tell the story in the new order. 

I hope to find and connect with people who believe in giving kids a chance to prove themselves, who believe that each kid has the potential for greatness and that it’s our job to give them the safe space and encouragement to grow into their unique selves. Here’s to our new adventure!

“Only those who look with the eyes of children can lose themselves in the object of their wonder.”

~ Eberhard Arnold

A final note: 

I am a pretty straight-to-the-point kinda’ gal. My writing won’t have a lot of back story or long life digressions. Future blogs will probably be short and sweet with the main idea being concise and clear. With that said, if anyone would like to hear more detail or has further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out and I’ll add in the missing information. Like I said earlier, I’m learning as I go and any feedback will be helpful for me to craft the perfect blogs for you. 

Thank you so much for tuning in and we’ll see you on the next post!

J.