BookPAL LeRoy Mitchell with writers of thank you poems from Mrs Alverez's 4th grade.
A hearty THANK YOU goes out to each and every volunteer involved with Florida BookPALS programs! What you do for these children is just amazing. You are motivating, inspiring and rejuvenating an atmosphere of literary love!
This work you do is no small task. William Butler Yeats said: "Education is not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire." Your passion and commitment and your love of literature ignite so many fires, and for that I thank you, thank you, thank you!
No one need doubt the power of your reading presence in the lives of children after reading these testimonials from our teachers:
"BookPALS is a fundamental program that is extremely helpful in getting students interested in reading. When students are interested in reading, it improves their vocabulary, their lanaguage development, and it positively affects all areas of their academics. Find more volunteers for my school--this is such a great program!" ~Ms. Erin Russe, 3rd Grade Teacher, Hamilton Elementary
"BookPAL Nan was engaging, and her topics were so well put together. She included music, artifcats and always her trusty map. Her lessons and books were interactive, and she used a rich vocabulary, often introducing words and concepts unfamiliar to my students. She always helped them make connections to themselves, other texts, or the world. This atmospher of dialog positively influenced my students' language and learning." ~Kelly Fountain, Elementary Resource Specialist, Thacker Avenue Elementary
"Many of our students are from other countries and have limited English abilities. Their listening skills are not very good, and reinforcement from BookPALS is a great help. BookPALS fits right in with our Sunshine State Standards Strand C: Listening, Viewing and Speaking. Grannie Annie kept the kids involved and enthusiastic about the stories. She always brought a wealth of information with her. She often shared personal experiences that would give students a "hook" to hang information in the story on. That previous knoweldge is always so important. The students genuinely delight in listening to her read. She is always so happy and smiley. She loved being here, and we loved having her." ~Sheilah Champion, 5th Grade Teacher, Kissimmee Elementary
"I enjoyed the poems Mr. Mitchell taught the children and the games that went along with them. He used multiple languages when teaching poetry. He also explained vocabulary words from the stories. I just wish we could see him more than once a week because the kids really enjoy listening to his stories and interacting with him." ~Ms. Alyssa Harmon, 1st Grade Teacher, DeSoto Elementary