Defying Odds

Studies have shown that the single best predictor of how a child will do academically over their 12 years of schooling is how much he/she was read to prior to their first day of first grade.  

When I heard this a few years back, I decided that I had to act in whatever way - be it small or large - that I could to read to the boys who were in my care at Casa Hogar Douglas.  If these kids are to succeed in school - someone has to read a book to them.  It's THAT SIMPLE - read to the kids!!! Someone has to read to them.

I quickly learned, it's not easy to read a bed time story to one child when there are 13 other children running around in the same room.  But all that didn't get in the way for many of my little boys.  They'd pile around the couch so they could see the pages and 10 of them would listen to a story all at once.  We'd read a bed time story in the light of the bathroom with just one or two boys and then go tuck them in.

The first child I ever read to in spanish was the child in the video above.  The first story I ever read to him is the exact same one he is reading in the video.

Hearing him read to me makes the 500 times I read this book to him totally worth it.

And would you believe that this same child received a diploma for 1st place for the highest test scores in his 1st grade class?!  Defying odds.  I pray this little man defies the odds against him for the rest of his life.