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IN CELEBRATION OF NATIONAL DEAR DAY
BY GLADYS S.N KABANDA
Kampala, Uganda|SHIFTMEDIA| As we celebrate the National DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) day which is always celebrated on 15th March on an annual basis, however, this year it is going to be celebrated on 12th March 2020 as directed by the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES).
This is mainly to help students celebrate the reading day without any excuse because 15th March 2020 will be a Sunday.
Planning on how to spend your DEAR day this Thursday-12th March 2020?, There are number of activities you can do as an individual or as a team, they range from, reading silently, buddy reading (Two people take turns reading the same material to each other), read aloud (this one works well with large groups of people and few reading materials), holding a writing workshop, get a guest speaker who can read aloud or get free digital resources from Google and access books(free kids books-http://freekidsbooks.org/) on your smartphone or tablet.
In consideration of this quotation about reading, that is, “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go”.-Dr.Seuss, people should enjoy reading and for children in school, they should be told that “Reading is an act of civilisation, it’s one of the greatest acts of civilisation because it takes the free raw material of the mind and builds castles of possibilities” as noted by Okri Ben.
They should be encouraged to read for pleasure so as to enjoy, achieve more in regard to, and develop writing skills, listening skills, language development, and creativity.
Children should be given a lot of reading material, such as textbooks, novels, newspaper and self-help books like Gifted Hands by Ben Carson, Poor Dad and Rich Dad by Robert Kiyosaki so as to help them discover the hidden knowledge, their dream, and destiny. Remember-“A book is a dream you hold in your hands”.-Neil Gaiman
Reading is an important exercise for the brain, thus, if anybody admires to stay young, live life to the fullest, become knowledgeable and ambitious, they should make it a habit to always read freely without being forced by anybody, putting in mind that, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.”
In this day and era, there are lots of ways of receiving information, for example, digital resources like Google, social media, reading Newspaper and from private or public libraries, for example, KCCA library, Kampala public library, National Library of Uganda, Lubaga Division –public library, Kitengesa community library-Masaka and Entebbe public library among so many others, however, one may be surprised by the number of people who are willing to read.
Many people, especially in Africa, have a poor reading culture, and it is usually said that “if you ever want to hide something from an African, put it in writing. As we celebrate this year’s National DEAR day, let us do something to change the status quo
How do we change the status quo?
- Reading should be part and parcel of life. Children should be given a great foundation in reading and followed with writing so as to develop intellectually.
- Children should be guided on how to read by giving them tips on how to stand or sit in a good posture, eye contact and how to hold the reading material. All these skills help them to read fluently articulately.
- Children are usually given books to read (readers) when at school because it is a minimum standard for every school to have a library were students borrow books to improve their academic work and social lifestyle. Remember-“Reading means borrowing”.-Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
- Nevertheless, every home should also have a library where children can pick books and read. This is a great strategy towards helping children to be self-motivated in regard to reading-Remember “Books are the plane and the road. They are the destination and the journey. They are home” .-Anna Quindlen
- On top of that, parents should start giving their children gifts in the form of reading material, such as textbooks, readers, novels so that they appreciate reading at an early age. Remember –“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift”. Kate Dicamillo
- Lastly whenever you decide to read, have a notebook where you write the new words that you may come across and words that have made a lot of sense to you.-Remember-“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them”.-Lemony Snicket
Note: The activity you choose to do can take one –to two hours-learn something new on that day and it works well if you read in a group.
The author is, An Administration Officer-Busega Prep School
#Management and Leadership Consultant
#gsnk.consult@gmail.com
One Comment
Wow, Gladys it’s a rich and wonderful article
I like this, and am already reading, thanks