WHAT’S UP -- steve smith

Sooner or later, it was bound to happen. Sooner or later, if I threw

enough wacky ideas against the wall, one or two would stick. What I

didn’t expect was to get two good ideas in a row.

The first idea was last week’s “All G, all the time,” theater, which some

readers refuse to allow a quiet death. The second was one of those

thoughts we get while shaving or driving in the car with the radio off.

In this case, I was both shaving and driving so the idea was bound to be

a winner.

A few days ago, I ran the idea by our PTA president, Mary Fewel, and

Victoria Elementary’s principal, Judy Laakso. It’s based on a behavior

called “modeling,” of which I am a strong advocate. The theory behind

modeling, without going into all the psychobabble, is that kids will more

readily do what parents ask if the kids already see their parents

conducting themselves in that same manner.

In other words, parents, if you want your kids to keep their rooms clean,

make sure yours is tidy. Don’t want them to use bad language? Clean up

your own chatter. And while modeling is no guarantee of behavior, it

greatly increases the chances of a child copying his parents.

Modeling is more than reading with a child or encouraging a child to

read. It is similar to the imprinting of a duckling. If kids see their

parents reading from very early in their childhood, that imprint could

last through all of their school years and have a significant effect on

their reading interest.

Imagine that a child comes home from playing outside. Instead of seeing

mom and dad plopped in front of the tube, he sees them reading a book.

Now imagine that’s what he sees for the entire five years before he

enters school.

This modeling is an integral part of any successful reading program. It’s

not good enough just to have kids read or to have parents read with them;

parents must be readers in their own in their free time.

And since we know that perhaps the greatest tool we can provide for kids

is not only how to read, but also the love of reading, I thought it was

time to start a reading and modeling program for parents. Kids are

actively involved in the district’s “Just Read” program, so why not start

a ‘Just Read” for parents?

My first two sounding boards thought it was a splendid idea, but since I

don’t know when to quit, I called school superintendent Robert Barbot to

get his two cents.

“All of the research and data indicates that the single biggest

difference [in the education of a child] is parental involvement,” said

Barbot. “It is the single biggest factor.”

That, folks, is about as powerful a statement as one can make. And for

those of you who thought all along that it was all about money, I hope it

changes your view of your child’s education.

Barbot went on to tell me about a couple of programs in which the

district is currently involved. Julie Chan, director of curriculum and

assessment, is working with the teaching staff and parents at one school

to promote a similar idea, though not exactly what I had in mind.

Unfortunately, district officials have a tough hill to climb.

“The parental difference doesn’t take much effort,” Barbot said. “But

there is a perception that it takes a lot.”

That statement was not news to me. My parental cynicism dictates that

most moms and dads rarely take the hard road, so I figured that if

modeling were easy, more parents would be doing it. Now, it appears that

parental involvement is like one of those nasty chores we keep putting

off, only to find when we get around to it that it was a snap all along.

I am hoping that perhaps the Victoria Elementary PTA will pick up the

“Just Read for Parents” ball and run with it. If the program is done in a

fun and interesting way, without any finger-pointing, it could very well

make the difference in the lives of many children.

But don’t look for me to drive and shave again any time soon. It took me

forever to clean the shaving cream off of the steering wheel.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and freelance writer. He can be

reached at (949) 642-6086 or by e-mail at o7 dailypilot@latimes.com.f7