Reading, A Force in Your Life

Reading, A Force in Your Life - The Missourian: Editorials

Posted: Friday, March 1, 2013 5:32 pm | Updated: 1:43 pm, Mon Mar 4, 2013.

The most disabled person in life is one who can’t read. Or does not read very well and has trouble comprehending what he or she reads. Education is impossible for one who cannot read. The inability to read can be compared to not having a full life.

One of the reasons why this newspaper sponsors the Missourian In Education program is because of a recognition of how important reading is to every person. There was a time when parents believed it was their responsibility to help their children learn to read. They worked with their children nearly every day to sharpen reading skills. We don’t think as many parents today are reading to their children, or listening to them read and helping with their vocabulary.

The Missourian In Education program is an excellent aid to teachers in teaching. The Missourian program this year consists of delivering 3,006 newspapers each week to 149 classrooms in 46 area schools. This year we had an increase of 30 new classrooms and an increase of 865 Weekend Missourians being delivered. Some of the items included this year are information on voting, Missouri Art and history in our state Capitol, Veterans Day, Constitution Day, gardening, Missouri River, and even mules through our Reading Across Missouri serial “Manny Kicks Long Ear Lore.” Another program is Book Buzz, which is 10 years old, and has donated about 10,000 books. Then there is Kid Scoop.

The community events include Run to Read, Family Reading Night, The Bee spelling competition and the Summer Reading Program. The Missourian is active with its emissourian page which features a link to Kid Scoop Online, Space Place and NIE Institute Teacher Resources, Twitter and Facebook. A free book every month is given away on Facebook.

There are many sponsors who support the Missourian In Education program. We are grateful to them and to the cooperating schools and MIE teachers. This week is Newspaper In Education Week. This program has helped thousands of students nationwide to improve their reading skills and to obtain valuable information that forms the well-rounded student.