PHS 242E Fall 1999
Teacher Colleague Letter written at the end of the semester on December 7, 1999

Dear Colleague,
I chose the ROR program because I love working with children and jump at any chance to do so. I gained three things and they include: an understanding of the importance of literacy at early ages, how beneficial it is to read to children-even infants, and the ability to read to children in the correct manner. Three questions that remain for me are: How did I make a difference when there were rarely any children to read to? Does a six month old child REALLY know what I am saying when I read to him/her? How often should a child be read to for it to make a real difference in their literacy?

Sincerely,
Barrie Lazar

Dear Colleague,
I chose the Oxford ROR program because I love working with kids and this program gave me the opportunity to combine kids and books! I gained three things from this program: a better knowledge of how to present a book to a child, how to approach and talk with the parents (a skill we will need in the future!). Three remaining questions that I have are: 1.) Why isn?t this a more widespread program? 2.) Do the parents read to the children after they leave the office? 3.) Is there a ?good? setup in the office as far as books, shelves, chairs, lego table and toys, that would be best to attract children and parents to the books? Have a good time with the kids!

Sincerely,
Erin Smith

Dear Colleague,
I chose the ROR book program because I wanted experiences working with children and parents. I gained three things from this program which include volunteering and feeling more a part of the Oxford community, talking with parents takes practice and gets easier, and children will model your behavior so let them see you READ!!! Three questions that remain for me are: How can we better coordinate so that people get a chance to read to children more? How else can I help children get an early start on reading? What other types of programs can help with early intervention in academic/health aspects?

Sincerely,
Jennifer Tsvetkoff

Dear Colleague,
I chose the Roar program because I love children and wanted to promote reading. Reading is the basis for education and therefore important. So what a great way o hang out with kids and do a good deed at the same time! I gained three things from this program a which include confidence reading out loud, experience around children, and the enjoyment and memories that I'll treasure. Three questions that remain for me are: Did my short time at ROR do any good? Why aren't more offices participating in this program? Will I have the time next semester to participate again?

Sincerely,
Jessica Kremp

Dear Colleague,
I chose the Roar program because it sounded like fun and it seemed like a worthwhile cause. I gained an understanding of how important it is to read to children, how much fun it could be, and a calming piece of mind every time I went to read. One of my questions that I still have is how come more pediatrics offices haven't started doing this? Why is this program needed? Why weren't parents doing this on their own? When does the next session start next year?

Sincerely,
Kelly Reese

Dear Colleague,
I chose the ROR project because it sounded interesting and helped at the community. I learned the importance of health literacy. I became confident when talking to parents about reading and I gained an overall understanding of the entire ROR project. I would like to have seen the children more interested in the books and how I could have approached them to make them interested. Overall, I enjoyed both learning and participating in the service learning project, ROR.

Sincerely,
Kelly Rothery

Dear Colleague,
I chose the Roar program because I thought that it would be an excellent opportunity to work with children. I thought, also, that the time I spent sharing books with children would be just as rewarding for myself as it was for the children. I gained experience with one-on-one interactions with children, and I learned how to approach both children and their parents with the issue of reading. I also found many picture books that would be effective in teaching health-related issues in the classroom. However, there are some questions that I still wonder about I finish up my time with Roar. I wonder why the parents don't always take their sick children to the isolated areas and if the children are definitely getting books when visiting the doctor. Also, I wonder why such a great program hasn't really picked up elsewhere and how come other universities don't use their pre-service teachers in such a wonderful program.

Sincerely,
Melissa Hawkins

Dear Colleague,
I chose the ROR program because I wanted to interact with children from Oxford. I gained three things from this and they are how to approach and interact with parents, the correct way to read a book to a child, and how important early childhood literacy is. Three questions that still remain for me are: What was my personal impact on these children? Will ROR help these children heighten their ability to read? How does health and literacy directly affect one another?

Sincerely,
Meagan Paschal

Dear Colleague,
I chose the ROR program because I wanted to gain more experience reading and interacting with children. I gained three things from ROR. I gained more knowledge of children's books, more about the types of books children like and some different methods of getting children to want to read. I wonder how much the children enjoy the program? I am still curios to how many parents are actually reading to their children, and finally, I would like to know if the Doctor's are really giving books out to children.

Sincerely,
Terry Wright