Today we held a parent workshop: we invited 80 parents and 40 arrived, so we were very happy with the turn- out. We were able to give away little a-z sheets, to help the parents create games for their children, plus a simple reader, a bookmark with the key 100 word on ( the high frequency words) and an explanation on the importance of reading with children, and a worksheet with the sounds of the phonetic alphabet. We had a lot of fun acting out the sounds, and practicing 'paired reading.' Carrie was a very willing assistant, and helped me demonstrate the value for our paired reading method.
In addition, as a thank you, we gave away a book to each parent to take home to practice their ' shared reading' skills with their children. Thank you to Herzlia school and to the Rotary for their contribution of wonderful books, enabling this gesture of appreciation. It was a fun session, and our audience was very lively and interactive.
I had several parents come up to me and thank me, but one parent will remain with me: he pulled out the bookmark with the key one hundred words on, shook my hand vigorously, and with the largest and warmest of smiles, thanked me profusely, telling me that he was now going to take the words home and practice and learn them himself.
Just when I think I have got to grips with and contrasts and disparities of this country, something poignant, in-fact, almost heartbreaking like this occurs, and I am reminded of the importance of what we are doing. We are reaching so many more people than just the children that come to the Shine Centre. This is life changing work on so many levels.
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