A Note From North Carolina

One of the best parts of being a writer for NEA Today is the opportunity to travel around the country to meet with educators and other Association staffers and talk about what's happening in their states. A recent such trip found me in North Carolina interviewing teachers for a piece in the March issue about how early girls are being sexualized now. (Look for it here at neatoday.org in at the end of the month.)

I also got to meet with the communications team at the North Carolina Association of Educators in Raleigh, who filled me in on the issues that are facing their members, and they also gave me a head's up on some great story ideas they're working on for their publications. Last week, Assistant Editor Linda Powell-Jones dropped me a line with one such story, about how a school in Apex, North Carolina, has a unique, four-legged reading coach. It'll appear in the March issue of their state publication, but if you can't make it down to North Carolina, we thought we'd give you a peak here.

The usually busy media center at Middle Creek Elementary School is quiet, except for Deven, a second-grade student reading a book near the back of the room. With him, sprawled out on a round, colorful rug is an attentive audience of one--Wingo, the READ dog.

Wingo, a registered therapy dog, is part of a program called "Reading Education Assistance Dogs," launched by Intermountain Therapy Animals. The program improves children's reading and communication skills by employing a powerful method: reading to a dog.

Twice a week Wingo visits the school with his owner Kristi Brown to help students improve their reading skills. He participates in various learning settings, from self-contained classrooms, to small group settings to individual one-on-one sessions. "Wingo is pretty cool," Deven said. "I've read with him twice and I like reading with him. He is really funny and a pretty good listener."

Chas Miller, the school's principal, said all of the students benefit from Wingo's visits. "He is so calm and focused and the kids tend to emulate him. He sits, watches and listens while they read. It's incredible."

Brown, whose two children attend Middle Creek, approached Miller with the idea of incorporating the READ program into the curriculum. She learned about the program during a reunion of Chesapeake Bay retrievers at the Outer Banks. "Wingo is a rescue dog and his breed can very dominant. My husband and I were concerned about him being aggressive with our young children so we immediately enrolled him in obedience training; he did very well. During this time, my son was beginning to read and whenever he read stories out loud Wingo would come and sit next to him. They really developed a bond."

After completing obedience training -- which teaches dogs how to be good citizens, walk on a lead and interact with other dogs -- Brown began pursuing the READ program. Wingo participated in workshops where he learned how to look at a book and focus during the many distractions that can take place in a school setting. Brown also received basic orientation, training and mentoring. "I thought this would be a great way to combine my love of dogs with becoming more involved in my children's school."

Miller said Brown works with the teachers to identify students' needs. "Whether it's difficulty with comprehension or with certain text, she focuses in on what works best for a student," he said. "She observes while the student reads and often asks the question, 'Can you tell Wingo about this part of the book?' Sometimes I think students become disinterested in classroom instruction and this program helps add another component to it. Instead of just learning about comprehension in a group setting, the child gets to explain the book to a dog in an environment they feel is more comfortable."

Brown added that for those students who need extra help and have to be pulled away from regular instruction time, time spent with Wingo is viewed as a positive instead of a negative. "When students read with Wingo, they feel it's their job and they are focused on doing their best. They look at the opportunity to read one-on-one with him as very special. When they return to the classroom, they share their experiences and this helps them build a better rapport with their peers."
--Linda Powell-Jones

--Cynthia Kopkowski