“Reading Month is a reminder of the power of literature and how one book, held in the right hands, can change someone’s life,” says Michigan Teacher of the Year, Leah Porter.
Governor Whitmer has declared the month of March to be Reading Month, and our schools and libraries are bursting with excitement. With the help of Lakeshore Public Schools and Tri-County Head Start, four radio stations with Midwest Family are zooming from classroom to classroom to share in the gift of reading.
“I encourage every Michigander to pick up a book and experience the joy of reading, whether you’re learning something new, returning to an old favorite, or experiencing characters and stories only reading can unlock,” says Governor Whitmer.
97.5 Y Country, 94.9 WSJM, 98.3 The Coast, and 103.7 Cosy-FM each have entry forms on their websites, where you can submit your elementary school classroom to be scheduled for a storytime session.
“When the pandemic first hit, we wanted to be able to still read to the students, even though it was not in person,” says Matt Malone of The Matt Malone Morning Show on 97.5 Y Country. “We found that it actually was more beneficial to read virtually because it allows us to be able to read to more classrooms throughout the month– not only combining reading times in a particular school, but now we don’t have to factor in travel time between schools. On top of that, the availability to share our computer screens of the book we are reading allows every student to be able to see the illustrations on each page.”
Jonny Reinhardt from The Morning Show on 94.9 WSJM tells us, “Over the years I have gotten the chance to read some really great books to classrooms. Some of my favorites include “The Book With No Pictures” by B.J. Novak, and “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” by Jon Scieszka.
Books act as doors into other worlds– they exercise our imaginations, improve our reading skills, and bring to life the characters and places we long to know and see. Forever Books bookstore in St. Joseph recommends some of their new releases for the month of March, like ‘The School For Whatnots’, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, and continues to offer online ordering and contact-free pick up. Olympia Books in Dowagiac provides some of the classics, new and used, by authors like E.B White, Dr. Seuss, and your favorites from Disney.
Last year, the radio stations read to over sixty classrooms, and shared stories and laughter with 1,800 students. Encourage your children and students to read this month and every day, and start by signing up your classroom for a Virtual Reading Tour 2022.
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM contributor
