Popular verses from classic children's books could be heard
down the hallways as kindergartners and eighth-graders sat in
pairs reading to each other. The fun activity is part of a
new effort led by Kathryn Crawford, eighth-grade teacher, and
Caitlin Boland, kindergarten teacher, to start a buddy
program at St. William of York School in Stafford. Crawford
was inspired to start the program after recalling the fond
memories of reading with older students when she was in grade
school.
"We thought it would be a neat opportunity for the
eighth-graders to develop a relationship with the kids," said
Crawford. "On Mondays they go to Mass together, so they are
church buddies."
The teachers work with the students to make buddy reading
time both fun and educational.
"The eighth-graders are working on their public speaking so
it is helpful to them to read out loud to the kids," says
Crawford. "The kindergartners are working on identifying the
beginning, middle and end of their stories and who the
characters are."
Eighth-grader Shane Alexander looks forward to reading to his
buddy and thinks that it helps his buddy be more confident in
his own reading.
Sometimes the eighth-graders help the kindergartners with a
fun activity or craft before starting their reading session.
Crawford likes seeing the kindergartners bring out the inner
child in their older buddies and how much the eighth-graders
enjoy the time with their partners.
"They (the eighth graders) spend a lot of time picking out
their books and some of them come in on Mondays and they are
like 'look what I found at the library,'" said Crawford. "If
we ever have to cancel, they are pretty bummed." She also
enjoys seeing the relationships between the kids develop even
outside the designated buddy time.
"The eighth-graders' confirmation was last week, and the
kindergartners drew pictures of them together, while a couple
of the little kids attended their buddy's confirmation."
Eighth-graders Lidia Gillson and Rita Bishai both look
forward to their time with their little reading partners.
"I love seeing my buddy," said Gillson. "She likes to point
out the things inside the book and ask what that word is and
how it is spelled." The girls also understand that the time
they spend together with their younger students is more than
about reading Green Eggs and Ham.
"Our buddies look up to us," said Bishai. "They think we are
cool, so we have to set a good example."
Buyers can be
reached at abuyers@catholicherald.com.