Crystal Spring Elementary students read to dogs
Crystal Spring Elementary students read to dogs (Added: April 28, 2009)
Some local students are seeing first hand that dogs can be good listeners to help them learn how to read (more)Click here to learn more about St. Francis service dogs
Reading is fundamental, but not always fun for children.
But getting a dog involved can change that.
Elementary school students who might have trouble reading have no problems reading to Rover, or Sally at Crystal Spring Elementary School.
The dogs are part of the St. Francis Service Dogs Foundation's special reading program. These dogs are not the same as the foundation's normal service dogs. They're volunteer dogs who help children open up and read. There's no judging from the dogs, only a high five and maybe a lick for a good job.
"It's fun and it's easy... They can't correct you if you get it wrong," Remi Johnson told us.
In just the few weeks that the dogs have gone to Crystal Spring, teachers say they've already noticed a a difference. It's easier for some students to practice reading to the dog that it is their classmates.
"There's no stress here, like in the classroom they're afraid of maybe someone making fun of them because they don't know a word. Here there's no one making fun of them. The dog is not judgmental, I'm not judgmental," Janelle Love with St. Francis Service Dogs Foundation said.
Love retired from teaching, and now shares her love of helping students with her love of dogs and volunteering.
The foundation is pairing "pet partner teams" with children in Roanoke and Bedford schools. Currently, the foundation is working with students at Crystal Spring and Goodview Elementary Schools, but it's looking to expand. If you're Delta certified, you can volunteer.
"They don't know they're working toward anything anymore. It's fun and they're felling really good about themselves. They're getting faster," said Cindi Robertson.
And the students are having fun. Something key in making reading a choice and not a chore.
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