Welcome from the President!

As we begin the New Year 2011, it is a great opportunity for each of us as educators, to set goals for both ourselves and our students.  It is also a perfect opportunity to think about the mission statement of the Kansas Reading Association and how that statement and our commitment to it and the organization can positively impact literacy learning.  KRA’s mission statement is :  “to promote learning through quality literacy experiences for all.”  If we carefully read and digest that statement, it truly means quality literacy experiences for all children, all adolescents, and for all adult learners as well.  And as we promote learning through literacy, we extend reading to all subject areas and aspects of life.  My presidential theme fits directly to that mission statement:  “Reading – Opening Doors to Knowledge and Enjoyment:  Imparting and Enabling Literacy Skills and Sharing the Passion for Reading.”  And so I challenge each of us to make a difference in the lives of each child or adult that we teach or work with, by improving their literacy skills and by engaging and motivating them as readers!

And of course, the obvious place to start is with ourselves!  What are we reading?  How are we sharing the ideas and messages from our reading?  What do we do when we encounter an unfamiliar word?  How are we sharing our joy in reading something that allows us to learn something new?  And how do we share that joy when we encounter beautiful language?  One of the best ways we can achieve our personal and professional goals of ‘making a difference”, is to be a committed, enthusiastic reader, and to share our passion for it!

Reading readiness begins essentially at birth, with a young infant hearing the sounds of language.  This is why it is so important for parents, caregivers, and early childhood educators to speak clearly, affectionately, and often to infants and toddlers.  And as we all know, it is equally important to read aloud to young children and to share our passion of words, ideas, and books with them.

The Kansas Reading Association is blessed with so many talented members and, dedicated professionals, whose leadership in the literacy community is essential.  Our organization’s strength depends on each member’s participation, to be collaborative in achieving our goals, and to work as a caring community in which we can all learn from each other.

We are living in a time of economic stress in our schools and communities, but it is important that each of us advocate for essential literacy instruction and initiatives, quality resources, professional development, and quality teaching!  Together, we can make a difference as we communicate the importance of outstanding literacy instruction and live our lives as highly professional literacy leaders.  When we impart knowledge and enable our students in all aspects of literacy, and when we engage and motivate each student as a reader, we will have fulfilled and reached our goal. 

We must all remember that in addition to the development of literacy skills, it is quality literature that will help form great readers.  At every level, let’s commit ourselves to sharing great literature with our students, and making time in our busy instructional programs for actually READING!

I challenge each of you:  to make time in your busy day to READ; to attend your local reading council meetings; to participate in our state conference; and to share reading strategies and instructional successes with your fellow professionals so that others can benefit from your experiences.  And I challenge each of you to remain open to new ideas and ways of doing things; to read the articles and ideas in the Kansas Journal of Reading; to work with other curriculum specialists and teachers (math, science, social studies, and other subject areas) to help them help their students become better readers and writers in each and every subject area.  I intend KRA to be an organization of committed professionals who will reach out to other curricular areas, to help ALL students be successful in every aspect of the curriculum.

Happy reading, and happy learning!  What a joy, to be the teacher or leader who will make the difference in the life of a reader and learner!

Donna L. Knoell, President of Kansas Reading Association