These Teachers Are Changing Lives

B.R.I.C.K. Peshine Academy is one of 23 low-income schools in Newark, NJ that participate in the My Very Own Library program. The program allows students to choose three books from a Scholastic Book Fair three time per year at no charge to the student, school or the families.

It is easy for schools with a lot going on during the holidays to simply open up the cases and tell the students to "go pick 3 books" but that's not how they do things at Peshine!

It is important that students see reading as an adventure for students to increase their independent reading skills, they need to see reading as fun and pleasurable.

The entire staff and volunteers at Peshine made their MVOL Book Fair fun and memorable. They turned their stage into a train car on the Polar Express. Students had to board the Polar Express on their way to the North Pole where they would sip hot chocolate, meet Santa and get to pick three books. The teachers and volunteers dressed like elves and train conductors. Older students were "Santa's Helpers" and helped record the books selected by their younger peers.

All I can say about what I experienced is "these teachers don't get paid enough"! They are passionate about making reading fun in one of the most challenging neighborhoods in the country. They have no idea the impact they will have 10-15 years down the road once these kids are long gone from their elementary school. They may think that they just took them through an imaginary ride on the Polar Express when they might have put them on the fast track to a love for reading and a successful future.

In this season of giving, be sure and thank a teacher for all they give every single day.