My teaching experience and now our experience reading with elementary school students has emphasized the importance of reading. Reading is Fundamental. One important thing I have learned is there is a big difference between knowing words and sentence structure and “reading”. Many of my college students appeared to only have skill in the first part; a few not even that. These were smart youth, without this critical skill.
I am impressed by the library staff at the Iola Elementary School in Iola, Kansas. They have a commitment to the students that many folks don’t understand. I am lucky; I spend time with these librarians/teachers and also with members of the community. The latter happens often at the local coffee shop.
The youngsters in Allen County Kansas are lucky. They have these great librarians in school, our local Iola public library managed by an equally great librarian. The Rotary Club of Iola sponsors the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and there are many other ways in which reading is encouraged in this area.
Kansas supports this through a regional library system of which our public library is a part through the Southeast Kansas Library System. However, the most important support comes at home; that is the foundation that allows students to benefit from these resources.