Over a year ago, we started a mini project to improve our teachers’ competence in guiding children to read. We did this because we found that the children in our care, no matter how smart and expressive, quickly fall behind in literacy and reading once they start primary school.
Some cannot remember even simple characters. Some do not understand what they read. Some are unable to read a short paragraph out loud, and others find it very hard to put their thoughts into words. It is not uncommon for some of the secondary students to have the reading ability of a first or second grade primary school student. Their teachers, group home parents, and tutors had all put in a lot of extra effort hoping to help them improve. Despite all this, their progress was minimal.
Research around the world shows that this may be explained by a less-than-ideal early reading experience for children like those in our care - who often come from chaotic family backgrounds, who have needed extensive medical treatment, and who have experienced instituational care.
In regular family homes, reading with parents (or siblings) and chatting about books often happens naturally before bedtime, on the couch on weekends, or by the dinner table. Children may watch others in the family read as a daily practice. Books may be found everywhere in the house—on the bookshelf, by the sofa, or on a bedside stand. However, when group home parents need to care for a number of children with a variety of special needs, reading together is understandably not their first priority.
We all know how important reading is for children. It benefits children cognitively. It is nurturing when a child resonates with the experience of a character in a story. It reduces stress, helps children with emotion regulation, and improves their executive function. Reading is not only crucial for their schoolwork, but it can also be one’s armor, a hiding place.
Therefore, we decided to intentionally set up a reading-friendly environment for the children. To do this, we first started a reading group for the teachers to improve their awareness and competence in guiding children to read. We selected a series of books to read and discussed them together online each week as our main intervention method. We learn how to guide the children to read by reading a book ourselves and talking about what each of us notices in the book, often very differently. Through our shared reading, we also learn to encourage and value each person’s voice, no matter how seemingly trivial or unconventional it appears. Here is a glimpse of what the teachers said—
Ms. J: “I really look forward to our weekly sharing time. We are now reading the 4th book. I often think of the children in our work, and I think of my own childhood, my family and my teachers. Some of it was warm and supportive, and some was regrettable. They have all become important lessons for me.”
Ms. N: “It helps me clarify many important concepts. I learned to guide every child to share, rather than only encouraging those who are capable of talking. I am reminded to give EVERY CHILD an opportunity. I also learned to be flexible. For example, when we talk about families, we can expand the concept, focus on ‘love’ and not ‘biological parents’ to accommodate the group home kids.”
Ms. L “The weekly reading really encourages me to read, because we need to share our thoughts. So I made reading plans for myself, and I pushed myself [to read]. Now I am used to reading a couple of pages every day. I got used to it and I started to like it. The books that we have been reading also inspire me to read more, and go deeper into the topic. It helps me to think.”
Meanwhile, we organized reading clubs for older children every weekend, and we increased reading and discussions for the little ones in our Classrooms of Smiles. We also got bookshelves and filled them with books for children to choose from.
For the very young children in our collective care model, we set up a reading corner, selected picture books suitable for their developmental ages, and recruited volunteers to read with them on a regular basis.
Whenever possible, we also took the older children out to the local library. It was really rewarding to see almost everyone burying their heads in the book.
One year might not be long enough for many children to excel in literacy. However, some children started reading a little bit longer. Some could share a little bit more. Some would ask questions based on the book they were reading. We believe that for the children in our care, reading is a necessity, not a luxury. It is our hope that books become their lifelong companions and open up a splendid new world for them!
