(Newswire.net — January 22, 2014) Montgomery, Alabama —
Middle school teacher Scott Tucker is pleased to announce the district’s adoption of the Literacy Lunch Initiative, a nationwide literacy program aimed at middle and high school students. Authors of young adult novels will visit the middle and high school during their respective lunch hours to discuss writing techniques and the importance of reading. Authors and young readers often do not have a chance for this kind of meeting.
“I’m thrilled that the school board approved this program,” says Tucker. “So many of our kids are going to be exposed to the wonders of reading because those authors take the time to visit us.”
The program is partially funded by the PTA, who raises funds for extra-curricular activities such as the Literacy Lunch Initiative. The district also successfully petitioned local government officials for a grant to cover the rest of the program costs.
The Literacy Lunch Initiative pays authors travel expenses and a small appearance fee, along with purchasing copies of the book for every student participant. Each child receives a copy of the featured author’s work two weeks before his or her appearance, and has a chance to ask the author questions during the lunchtime session.
“We try to pick authors that have a wide appeal,” says Tucker, who is on the booking committee for the program. “When we invited an up and coming Sci Fi author, we had to actually extend the sessions into the following class period because the kids were so enthralled. For the week leading up to that lunch session, you could feel the kids’ excitement. It was one of our most successful lunches.”