Remember that time we won the citywide summer reading contest sponsored by New Orleans Public Library? We were rewarded with a visit from Goosebumps series author R.L. Stine and invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony alongside Mayor Mitch Landrieu for the newly renovated Nix Library. That was back in 2016. Our love of reading is still going strong here at Waldorf School of New Orleans.
Our students come by their excitement around reading honestly, because Waldorf Education does not push reading before its time. We introduce reading readiness skills from the youngest ages, but they may not look like what you'd expect. We emphasize listening skills and stretch the attention span in Nursery and Kindergarten through storytelling. The children soak up vocabulary through puppet shows. Reading is of ultimate importance to us here at Waldorf School of New Orleans, so we take our time and offer it when our students are hungry for it. By the time they reach First Grade, they are not only motivated to learn reading mechanics, their minds are ripe for success. It's this excitement and anticipation, coupled with success, which creates a lifelong love of reading.
Reading does remarkable things for the brain - it lights the mind up like a Christmas Tree - which is just one of the reasons why we think it's so important to pass along an avid love for it. Combine this enthusiasm for reading with our esteemed Lesley Rubenstein Library, offering over 3,000 books to our students, and you end up with students who love to read. These children grow to become adults who happily incorporate reading for pleasure into their daily lives. And isn't that what it's all about?
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