Curiosity, Conversations and Family Ties

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Mary U. Andrews
By Mary U. Andrews In 2009, “READ2ME: Tailgate Stories” started in what was then Abbey Court, Carrboro, NC. By 2013, the summer initiative found its way into 25 selected communities, which included at least two neighborhoods in every elementary school in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. Two teachers went into the assigned neighborhoods, opened their tailgates, pulled out chairs, spread out blankets and proceeded to read to children and talk about books. Thanks to Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation and Book Harvest, teachers also gave children books to keep for summer reading. They visited families in that neighborhood everyday for one or two weeks. In that setting, I thought about intellectual curiosity as it relates to book selection. Interest in the world fuels our imaginations, in pre-school settings through college and beyond. That interest enables us to contribute imaginatively to school, clubs and civic groups, and the 21st century workplace. Choosing books on sharks, Spiderman, knights, Star Wars, pets, mysteries, fantasy, wild animals, biographies, sports, is nothing but fun for most young children, as they crave an understanding of the world around them. But, that lone child worries me– the one who walks past a collection of diverse books with hardly a passing glance. He is not even enticed by the pictures on the covers to see what wonders are inside the books. Through no fault of his own, he suffers from poverty—a lack of intellectual curiosity. Would more conversations around books make a difference? READ2ME and literacy projects answer yes and set out to engage reluctant readers. To celebrate Family Literacy, I invite every parent in every household to think about intellectual curiosity as it relates to your children. Hold conversations with your children about the materials you read – newspapers, magazines, books, and the Internet. Share with your child: What are you reading? Why did you choose that book or that article? What have you learned? What made you laugh? Did the story or the information have transformative power in your life? Did it point you in the direction of other literary materials? Another author? Another source? All these questions are subliminal to most of us as readers. Why not bring those thoughts to the surface and talk about them every chance you get! Yes, with children. Depending on age and temperament, children may appear disinterested, but experience teaches us that persistence and conversation around literacy benefit curiosity. Vary the depth of the conversation but never stop communicating. Parents are the child’s first and most significant teachers. Parents have longevity, with tenure. Conversations around books ignite curiosity in all of us. Communicating to your children about what you’re wondering as you read teaches them to become better thinkers as well as readers. By thinking out loud, you teach that books, ideas, stories, and information matter. Those clips of conversations snuck in whenever and wherever you can, ultimately fuel your child’s intellectual curiosity and foster engagement with the world. Mary U. Andrews taught in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro City Schools until her recent retirement. She has received numerous awards for initiatives that involved children and families; Random House National Literacy Teacher of the Year in 2012, Jim Gibson Volunteer of the Year in 2011 (Carrboro Chamber of Commerce), the NC Reading Association’s James B. Hunt, Jr. Celebrate Literacy Award recipient in 2011 and the Wellspring Award recipient in 1998.