A CCBS student enjoys a reading break outside
One of the students at Cherokee Creek Boys School ran up to me first thing in the morning, “David, look at this book I’m reading! It’s 400 pages long!” He was jumping up and down with excitement, “Wow!” I said, followed by a quick, “Right on, you’re awesome!” And it was easy to get excited with him, because I remember having the same thrill when I finished The Hobbit – my first long, grown-up book.
He continued crowing, “This is 4 times longer than any other book I’ve read, and it’s awesome!” It was great to be around his enthusiasm for reading! Now that this student has felt such joy about reading, I hope he is a reader for life! At Cherokee Creek Boys School, reading is a pathway to self-discovery. When we minimize the amount of “screen time” reading becomes another source of entertainment, a place where incremental success can be built into a source of self-confidence, and is the backbone of our “hero study” assignments.
Pick up a book and get excited!
If you are interested in reading about parenting Middle School Boys, our staff have put together a recommended reading list for you. This list is not exhaustive, and there are many other texts, novels, stories, folk tales, fables, and parables that are great resources for the journey of discovery that is parenting. We do not have to make it up as we go, or just do it the way our parents did. Experience is a valuable teacher, and we can take advantage of other people’s experiences!
Just out of curiosity, what was the book he was reading? Also, I have to tease you, David: “The Hobbit?” Really? 🙂 Sadly, I cannot remember my first grown-up book; I wish I could because I do still feel that giddy excitement when I’m reading a good book. Most recently, I enjoyed “South of Broad,” by Pat Conroy.
Our student was reading Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer…of course it was The Hobbit, what else would it be?
You are really on to something with Pat Conroy, I will plug The Water is Wide for it’s wonderful description of kids, school, and life at the South Carolina Coast!
From beautiful Lebanon… Well done! I moved often as a child and books became a great companion. A good book could take all over the world and into the past, the future and places known only in the imagination. I always have a book going and never travel without one! My father was a broadcaster and it seems heresy to say “turn off the TV…turn off the computers…turn off the iPhone etc”. But, what is real and true about the world around us is we are “losing balance” with all the technology and a good old fashioned book can restore some of it! My first adult books and still among my favorites…Jane Eyre and Atlas Shrugged.
Your post made me smile! Wilson already loved to read when he went to CCBS which did make his transition much easier. It is truly a gift to be transported to another place and time while reading. Wilson will be the first to tell you that there were many days,at CCBS, that he wished to be someplace else! However, he will also tell you that he is glad to have been a student at your school.
I too enjoyed Pat Conroy’s book. As a matter of fact, I was in a hurry to read it so that I could send it to a friend who is a missionary in Africa. She has to pay taxes on items that come to her new. I told her that I would read it first and rough it up a little! I stayed up until six am and enjoyed every minute!
I hope that the boys are having a great summer! Please give my best to everyone!
Shelli Horger
P.S. Wilson leaves on Thursday to be a Counselor In Training for kids with special needs at Camp Trinity. He will be there for a week and then will go back in August for a week with middle school kids.
Congratulations to Wilson – all of his campers are lucky to have such a good guy as their counselor! When I read, I become more relaxed and think more clearly too, just like Wilson. Thanks for reminding us all that books can help us manage tough transitions in life too!
Thank you Beth. Books clearly hold a special place for you too…what is your recommended read for a trip to Lebanon?