Reading

I like to get to work early! I'd much rather get there before school begins and take care of things rather than stay in the afternoon when I'm tired and ready to go home. Monday is my hall duty day and has been for many, many years. I like it that way even though I often see students who wander in half asleep and grouchy! Sometimes on Mondays I'm half asleep and grouchy, too!

But one thing I've noticed on Monday mornings and any other morning of the week are how many of our students love reading. Come walk down the hall some morning and you will see! It makes me very happy that our students are readers. It makes me happy when I overhear them discussing books that they have read with each other. We have our own unofficial literary society in the halls of FBS!

I've been passionate about reading for many years. I can remember when I discovered the joy of reading. I was in 4th grade and my teacher, Mrs. Mac, encouraged us to take books off her shelves and read.  I started off with the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy mysteries, as did my peers, and like our students I enjoyed discussing the merits of individual books with my friends.

I grew up in a tiny town about 120 miles northwest of here. I was adopted at birth and was raised an only child.  Most of my classmates lived on the farms and ranches that surround the area and during holidays and summers there was no way for us to spend time together. We occasionally spoke on the old fashioned land line telephone but it was so antiquated that it cut our calls after about 5 minutes! So books became my best friends. My parents, bless them, were not wealthy but the one thing they never denied me were books to read! I'm sure my teachers loved to see those Scholastic book order forms coming from my house because it was always huge and they got lots of bonus points. If you visit my childhood home today you will find a floor to ceiling bookshelf still laden with the books of my childhood. Those books were and are my friends.

I still read today. I've graduated to a Kindle (love it!) but I still like to turn the pages of a real book and read.
I'm thankful for Mrs. Mac and other teachers who encouraged me to read.

God bless you all!! And please pick up a book and read!