Can you teach a love of reading?

There was an interesting juxtaposition of news stories this week.

First there was the sad NPR story about the PBS "Reading Rainbow" TV show ending after a 26 year run. Turns out the show, hosted by LeVar Burton all these years, was the victim of a funding crunch in education. Money is now going to programs that teach kids how to read, rather than to encourage them to love reading. Sorry LeVar, you'll be missed.

Fast forward to Sunday's NY Times and there's a front page article about middle school teachers who are part of a "Classroom Revolution" because they use reading workshops in class and let students choose the books they read--all in an effort to "help build a lifelong love of reading."

I found both stories so interesting because they underscore our belief at Sit Stay Read (and echoed by our program teachers) that the love of reading shown by our volunteers is as important to our students as the impact we have on their reading skills. Rather than "teach" a love of reading, we live it and the kids benefit. I love that!