Book Day

I love it that my sons' school --although just as high tech as a lot of schools nowadays-- still champions the printed word.  In this day and age when kids mostly read from Macs and V-Techs, you don't see kids running around with books in hand.  But today, I saw these kids.  Lots of them!

The school's Oral Communication class asked each child to bring their favorite book to read to class.  This was a lovely idea on so many levels.  First off, through this exercise, a child hones his reading skills.  Also, his communication and presentation skills (which my boys sincerely slayed at!).  Lastly, this became the venue for each child to share a bit about themselves to their peers.

Miro chose books that he wrote himself.  The teachers and the students already knew that Miro wrote books 3 years ago but never have they actually seen him read these originals to them.  Although Miro was shy at first, it was empowering to be able to tell a story that's more personal to the author than any book he may have gotten from a bookstore.  His books got passed around after his storytelling session.  He wouldn't admit it, but this made him proud.

Kenji's exposition was a lot different.  He chose to bring his treasured Complete Thomas Trailways Collection.  A box of 4 Thomas and Friends classic episodes.  Not only did he present each story with calculated expertise (and a huge, beaming smile all throughout, according to his teacher), he also managed to reveal a side of him that's mature for his age.  More than a book reader (and a very animated storyteller), he's an avid collector.  

To cut the long story short (Get it?  Story?  *nudge-nudge*), Book Day was a success!
I can't wait for more self-enriching gems like these from my boys' school!