Volunteer to Help Kids Read in Oregon

Having taught young people from 3^rd grade to high school level, I can honestly say that reading is the key to everything else a student will ever have to do. A child who says he or she wants to become a doctor, hasn't a prayer of achieving that goal if he cannot read well. A child who says he wants to drive a Mack truck will face all kinds of difficulties if he cannot read well, beginning with taking a driver's test in the first place. There are few occupations today that are not based on the assumption that the applicant can read. Poor readers and non-readers account for a large percentage of students who drop out of school before graduation.

For years, we have heard the warning cries of such books as, Why Johnny Can't Read, but many kids in our schools are still reading below grade level. Why haven't we responded more effectively to those warning cries? Isn't it time that each of us, individually, makes the decision to do more than shake our heads and bad-mouth the local schools for not doing a better job?

If you live in Oregon, you can help by picking up the phone and calling your local chapter of an organization called SMART. The letters stand for Start Making A Reader Today, and it is a nonprofit group that matches volunteers with children in Kindergarten through the 3^rd grade for one-on-one reading sessions once a week in an attempt to get young children off to a good start with reading; a start that could prevent them from later becoming school drop-outs or from struggling with school assignments they cannot read or understand for the rest of their school days. Yes, you can change your community, one kid at a time and here's how.

Contact SMART and ask them to send you a volunteer application form.

They will send you a form, along with information about the organization and its goals. Usually you will have a choice of schools, even one where your own children or grandchildren attend. You can set a time and day that is convenient for you, and SMART will provide any training you need.