Tuesdays are busy work days for therapy dogs King and Lily. By 8:30 a.m, King and I head out the door to be settled in King’s office at Hilltown Charter School in Easthampton, Massachusetts, in time for the arrival of his first student at 9:00. He usually works in 15-minute time slots, seeing 8 students throughout the morning. Today, one student was missing, so the rest were happy to get a few extra minutes with King.
King’s first three students delighted in reading all of the Bright Spot Reading Buddy Book Series King had in his book bag. There are eight books in the series so far. The kids loved learning about the Reading Buddies who work at other schools around western Massachusetts. I promised them, more adventures of the Reading Buddies were to come. King will be writing a new book this summer, and so will many of the other Buddies.
Students coming in from 10:00-11:00 each brought with them the book he or she had written about an animal living in Massachusetts. This had been a class research project culminating in the creation of the students’ own books. King listened attentively as one student read his book about the Peregrine Falcon, another, hers on the Black Bear, then the Red-Tailed Hawk, and the Snowy Owl. They took great pride in sharing their knowledge with King and carefully explaining their diagrams and other illustrations acommpanying the text.
When King’s session ends at 11:00, he and I hop in the car and head for home. A quick break is taken, with some outdoor time for the dogs, then Lily slips into her Bright Spot Therapy Dog vest and off she and I head to Westhampton Elementary School in Westhampton, Massachusetts. Lily takes her position in the special reading corner of the library sectioned off for our Reading Buddy Program and waits for her first reader to appear.
Today, since we only have two more visits before the program wraps up for the school year, Karen Rousseau, the librarian, decided to have the children (first and second graders) read in groups of 2, 3, or 4 in order to give everyone a final chance to read to Lily. The children enjoyed taking turns, each reading a page or two from his or her book and rotating back-and-forth through their group.
I was amazed at the progress these children had made through the year. They each read with a new-found confidence, enunciating clearly, and reading with expression. No shyness displayed while the others, like Lily, listened to their friends read. It was an enjoyable experience for all. After next Tuesday, all of the first and second graders will have had a final read with Lily for this year. And, Karen will give all the students a chance to say good-bye to Lily for the summer, pet her and give her a hug. Lily absolutely adores the kids and all this undivided attention. Both King and Lily will miss their weekly visits to these schools that welcome them in every Tuesday throughout the school year.