Teacher Colleague Letter written at the end of the semester on December 7, 1999

Dear Colleague,
I chose to participate in the OxROR project for several reasons. First of all, it was a requirement for this class. Secondly, what a great opportunity to help the Oxford community! And finally to better my skills both with children as well as parents. Three things that I gained from this experience include knowledge on selecting developmentally appropriate books, a sense of confidence as I approached parents to explain the project and immense happiness as I watched the children fall in love with books and reading. Three questions that still remain are: Could we broaden the program to a larger age group? Is it possible to have a little interaction or reaction from the doctors? How is our contribution followed up?

Sincerely,
Katie Blatnik

I was so excited to go for my first reading over at Oxford Pediatrics. I went to the Lane Public Library earlier to select some additional books to add to the few I had brought to class the week before. Here was my chance to show these wonderful little children the marvelous world of reading. I put on one of my brighter colored tops, thinking this would be pleasing to the babies, and then headed in. The office was quiet. The nurse showed me where to sit, gave me a smock and nametag and sent me on my way. So I sat there.

After a good half-hour of no children a few trickled in with their parents. Two were considerably sick so they sat in the sick child area. Besides the fact that they were sick they were also ten or eleven years old, which really didnt work for the books I had selected. So I sat for a while longer. Finally a little one came in wither her mother. After they had checked in, they came and sat over near where I was. The mother was obviously familiar with the OxROR project as she asked her daughter if she wanted to see the Reading Lady. I laughed and came and sat with the little girl and her mother. The girls was a little shy, and had limited verbal skills, but together the three of us selected a colorful picture book with babies. The little girl instantly reacted to the book by pointing and naming the colors. It was great. The mother was patient with me and encouraged the little girl to interact with me and the story I was sharing. But just as we reached the second page, the girl was called in to see the doctor.

So I sat a while longer, and sure enough a six month old baby came in for her checkup. I asked the mother if she would mind sharing a book with her little one, and as I explained the program, she accepted. We read the board book that I had brought, and I was stunned at how responsive a sixth month old could be. Again, she was called in at the beginning of the book, but those few brief moments explained how truly valuable reading to a child is.

Each week seems to improve over at the Oxford Pediatrics. I dont know if it is me becoming more comfortable with the environment or the environment becoming more comfortable with myself. This week the place was definitely more hopping than last week. There were kids all over the place. A lot of them sick, a few of them not. It seems that there are more children who are there that are sick than those who are there for well baby and well child checkups. And in fact, the ones who were there for the well baby or child check ups always seem to be the very little ones. But I try to read to them any ways.

This week I read to a little girl who did not initially want to be read to. But I came over, crouched down to be at her height and asked her if she would like to share a book with me. She anxiously looked at her mother who simply nodded her head, and the little girl replied yes. So we read a book with colors and Maisy a character on TV and she happily chimed in when she knew the colors. We talked about our favorite ones and before we knew it, she was in to see the doctor. It is important to note, however, that when she came back out to the waiting room, she headed straight to the jungle gym outside without thinking twice about reading a book.

Another little girl left the doctors office and came right over to where I was sitting. (I found that if I sat over by where they were playing and flipped through the books myself, they were often curious enough to see what I was doing.) She picked up a few books immediately and asked if I would read one to her. We started the book, she listened very intensely but her mother was in a hurry to leave so the book was cut short.

Finally there was Jack. Or I should say, an attempt to read to Jack. But being a mobile one-year-old he preferred to explore the toys and his surroundings than to listen to a book. He did though, look at a few pictures briefly, but his attention turned just as quickly. But his parents, being Miami graduates, were anxious to hear about the program, what was happening in the education department and on campus and our conversation together ended my day at the pediatricians.

What a difference reading with another person can make. I read on Wednesday since I had a huge exam on Monday and wasnt able to read at more normal time. I was a little nervous about reading with Sarah since I didnt know her very well, but having her there to work with was an excellent break from my normal reading.

Once we got situated over at the block table, I decided to sit there so it would be easier to approach the children and the parents, we waited for the first active participant. The first little girl that was there was very quiet and very shy. I asked her if she wanted to share a book with me, this was before Sarah got there, and instead of answering she looked at her mother for a response. Her mom, who was very involved in her magazine, gave her permission to read with me, but the little girl simply stared at me and made no motion that she wanted to even be in the same room with us. So I read the book to myself, but nothing seemed to perk her curiosity. Eventually she went back to see the doctor and the venture was over. A little while later a little girl, 3 years, and her brother came over and the girl immediately picked up a book and asked Sarah to read it to her. The little girl was so enraptured with the entire reading experience, it even made me as an observer feel like a job had been accomplished. The younger brother and I played with the blocks until I could introduce a board book to him. He sat and pointed to the pictures and the both of them really seemed to enjoy the experience.

Later there was another family with a very sick little girl and her brother. The brother was probably a year and a half old and the little girl was maybe three but had a stoma. Because of the stoma, she wasnt able to speak, so as she sat in her fathers lap I asked him if they would like to read a book together. I had already read to her brother, and I didnt want it to seem like I couldnt or wouldnt read to her. But she was cranky and the father said that she simply Never knows what she wants. I had a hard time finding an adequate reply so I simply said that if she wanted to hear a story just let me know. It was hard to watch her, but it was even more difficult to watch the father dismiss her actions.

Children have an amazing way to make an ordinary visit to the doctors a fun and adventurous occasion. This week, I returned to my usual Monday slot and expected a quiet day in the waiting room. It was a gorgeous day outside, and if that didnt deter the kids from the doctor, I assumed they would all be outside playing on the jungle gym. But that was not the case. The place was packed, and for a change, with healthy children.

The first little girl I read to was in fact a five month old baby. I asked the mother if she would like to hear a story and the mother told me that the baby responded a lot to books. So I took a colored board book over to where they were sitting and began to read the very simple text with the very bright pictures. Immediately the babys face lit up and in fact her breathing became slightly more rapid. She would stare at the pictures, drool and look up at her mother and I. After reading the book once, we went back and simply looked at the pictures. This little girl was totally occupied by the one book until she was called in to see the doctor.

Another little trio of fun that I read to were these three brothers, all under the age of five. It was apparent immediately that these boys were well read to and probably participated in some sort of story hour. In fact the mother commented on the fact that there was someone to read to the boys, so I briefly explained the program and went ahead and read to my little audience. The youngest, two years old, listened but would occasionally go back to the blocks he was playing with. The two older boys, wearing their appropriate St. Patricks Day hats, listen to every word and were anxious to comment at any opportunity. I also think the mom enjoyed the break as well.

It was hard to get to reading this week. With all the run around of preparing to present in Orlando, catching up on the rest of my class work, balancing my work at the Womens Center and the Health Center, all while maintaining my sanity, was near to impossible. But I went hoping that no one would be there. I know that sounds terrible, but sometimes it takes a lot of effort to approach a family and children, especially those who dont want to participate in the program. But like I said, I did it, and I was glad I did, once I was there.

It was a glorious day out, again. It must be a Monday thing, to have beautiful weather to tempt the children to come outside and play as opposed to sitting and sharing a book. The waiting room was a little quiet when I got there. So I settled in, placed the books around the table and hoped for the best. Shortly after I set up a young mother and her daughter came into the waiting room. The little girl was just six months old and was squirming around on her mothers lap. So I came over and asked if they would like to share a book with me. The mother wasnt sure if the baby would sit for the story but she offered to try anyway. And much to the surprise of both of us, the baby sat and looked at the pictures and looked at myself and looked at her mother. The time was all hers and she loved every minute of it. But we had to be realistic. As soon as a little boy came over to play with a truck, her attention immediately left the book and went to the play area.

After reading through the book a few times, with her attention going in and out, I went to read with another child and the mother of the little girl went ahead and read the book again with her daughter. I was thrilled that not only I had the opportunity to share the book with this family, but in the process, I might have taught the mother a little bit about how to read to her own child. That made the rest of my day.

Sadly, as my opportunity to read are nearing an end, there were no children to read to on Monday this week. Well, actually, there were a handful of children, but several were middle school children and a few were high school kids as well. I am positive that none of them wanted to be read to, but it is a shame that there is nothing that we can do with the older kids. Maybe we could set something up with homework help or something else for the readers who come later in the afternoon. I dont know how successful that would be, since many of the kids dont sit in the waiting room very long, but it would be an additional opportunity for the volunteers to help out. The more I think of this older children situation, the more I realize that the initial reading to smaller children should be our primary concern, but maybe not our only one.

When I come in on Mondays the same girl comes in every week to receive some sort of injection or medication. The first time she came in while I was volunteering, her mom came in with her as well. But every other time she has come in, her mother has sat out in the car while the daughter sits in the waiting room waiting for her timer to go off. Ive talked to her a few times about random things. About why I come to read, about school and general stuff lie that. I guess she was the inspiration for branching off of this program.

The last week, and unfortunately, not a very eventful one. When I first arrived at the doctors office, at ten oclock in the morning, there were a few small children in the waiting room. So I signed in, took off my coat and approached the children. Three little boys, all under the age of five, were destructively playing with the blocks on the table. They were in all their glory and had little interest to share a book with some stranger. So I set them down on their table and reminded them that if they wanted to share a book all they had to do was pick one up that they were interested in.

Well, with a little bit of patience, one little boy replied that he would like to share a book with me. He was probably four years old and selected a black and white book called A,B,See& which had all the letters of the alpha bet and then the negative images of objects beginning with the letter of the page. He wanted to hold the book, so over his shoulder I helped him maneuver through the pages.

Before we began to read, however, I did take a quick minute to explain to the mother about the OxROR project. She was very interested in how the Miami community interrelates to the Oxford community. After some clarification we together shared the book. Luke was very good at identifying the objects an even recognized a few of the letters. Each time he identified something correctly, his mother and I would praise him and his self-confidence crept a little higher with each page. It was a wonderful experience. And to top it all off, Lukes little sister, Sarah, also began looking at the book. She was probably two and a half, and had a hard time identifying many of the pictures, however she contributed her own opinion whenever she could.