Reading is one of those fundamental components of a community, and in a larger sense, a culture, because it binds people together. Shared reading between an adult and a child can help a child learn vocabulary, develop critical thinking skills, and even more, learn that there are different ways to be in the world.
For the past ten weeks, 16 students in the first, second and third grades were paired with adult mentors in the Page Turners pilot program at the Wimberley Village Library. The 16 mentors were retired educators, librarians and library volunteers.
For an hour each week, students met with their mentors to read a book together that suited their interests. When the program was first publicized in early September, registration was full within a day and a half.
Spearheading the program was library volunteer and retired educator, Karen Smith. She took her Page Turners proposal to Youth Librarian Beth Jordan, who approved the program. Last week, participants celebrated the end of their first session.
`During the celebration, both Jordan said, “This program is a game changer for reluctant readers. If we can help kids before they enter grade four, we can help build a community of readers.”
Smith created the program in honor of her friend and coworker, Johnna Beth Dennis, who died in 2023, and with whom she taught grades four and five. In January 2024, the library at Blue Hole Elementary was named the Johnna Beth Dennis Library in her honor.
Both teachers planned to initiate and volunteer with the Page Turners program after retirement. Unfortunately, Dennis passed away before their plans could be realized. Smith took the inspiration for Page Turners from a Reading Buddies program that Dennis used at Blue Hole.
When asked what her takeaway was from the first session of Page Turners, Smith said, “Joy. This is a win-win experience for both the mentors and their mentees. Mentors get to witness the spark of joy when kids learn that reading isn’t hard work, it’s hearing stories and having fun. For the kids, they build a relationship with an adult through reading. Kids don’t always live close to their grandparents and having this relationship is important.”
Smith went on to say that it “takes a village to raise a child. You don’t know what voice will reach them.”
The Page Turner Program continues next semester with the addition of a program for the Camp Community after-school program which meets at Scudder Elementary. Kindergarten and first graders will be the focus.
