News

Mentors, students share wonders of literature

By Robin Smith
Caledonian Record
BARTON, Vt. — Second grader Ava Roberts bent over her book, the Christmas bow on her head bobbing as she read out loud to her mentor, Lynn Perry of Irasburg.

Ava’s voice rose and fell with the words in the book with the intriguing title “The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles.”

“I like chapter books,” Ava said, pointing at her book — and she knows. She’s certain she’s read 500 books.

Her mom is a librarian, and Ava has spent a lot of time with books, at home and with Perry.

Perry, who volunteers at Barton Graded School in the Everybody Wins reading program and who loves books as much as Ava, marvels at Ava’s reading skills.

“She reads with a lot of expression and understanding,” Perry said.

Perry herself was a slow reader as a youngster, only learning to love reading later in life and pleased to share it now as a mentor.

In another room at the graded school on Tuesday, another group of mentors and students dressed like presents for Spirit Week opened their own books.

Mentor Carole Perron of Glover and third grader Alexis Sicard read James Herriot’s The Christmas Day Kitten, admiring the artist’s depictions of the kitten.

Alexis showed off the book that she received through the program to take home, one she can’t wait to read.

It’s Perron’s second year as a reading mentor at Barton Graded School, and she loves it. It’s a chance to return to where she was a speech and language assistant for 25 years.

She learned about the program when she saw her neighbor going into school to read with children, and heard how much he loved it.

One of the hardest parts of retiring is being out of touch with the students and other educators. And being a reading mentor offers all the joys of sharing the love of reading, and none of the hard work of being a teacher, Perron said.

She invests a few hours a week, and returns to her home in Glover happy and grateful for a chance to help another young one share her love of reading.

Reading together with an adult is an unexpected pleasure for some youngsters. Many grew up in homes without books, or never had anyone read to them, Perron said.

The students pick out the books, with suggestions from the mentors if they want. And mentors can help with the words or take turns reading, it really is up to them.

One of the loveliest things a student ever said to Perron was: “Can I read with you next year? I really like this.”

Sometimes, the role of a reading mentor is to read to the student.

Or in the case of mentor Peg Sprague, it’s listening.

Her young friend, third grader Kylie Carpenter, chose to read her own short story about pilgrims.

Kylie said she was inspired to write her own story after reading about the pilgrims and Thanksgiving.

Deb Zimmerman, coordinator of the Everyone Wins program at Barton, said the school is very supportive of the program.

It shows: A large poster in the lobby displays photographs of students relaxing with open books with the words: “Look Who Got Caught Reading!”

There are 20 Everyone Wins reading mentor programs in Vermont, with Barton and St. Johnsbury in the Northeast Kingdom.

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