To BOB or Not to BOB... back into USSR and into Literacy

Once upon a time there was a principal and teacher librarian who proposed a USSR block of time and BOB was born. There was a staff who embraced this notion and diligently had their students read and read themselves. Students who would not read at any other time were encouraged to do so. Students who were readers already either embraced this notion or were frustrated with the short time period - some staff were too. Students were seen reading in the halls, in the cafe, in the library, and in the classroom - administrators and teachers too.

BOB was considered so worthwhile that literacy was incorporated into the school goals.

BOB was not a panacea, but it was a start.
Fast forward in our story to the imminent arrival of the wrecking ball - a change in focus - a drifting away from the original purpose of BOB. There are still the devoted few, the last bastion of hold outs; however, students are wandering the halls, choosing to use BOB time to complete other tasks. The original purpose has been lost in a mirage of paper and pens, and BCESIS, not books. Yet, there is a glimmer of hope, the belief in BOB still lives.

The next couple of blog entries will be devoted to reading and literature related topics as we, as a staff, refocus on our school goal of improving literacy.

So, Who or What is BOB?
BOB stands for Bring on the Books. It is Sutherland's name for USSR, a block of time dedicated to Uninterrupted Silent Sustained Reading.

Did you know BOB was named after a real person? Bob Baldwin was a community coach, an inspiration in the manner in which he conducted himself and an example in how he dealt with the cancer that took his life – he believed in the dedication of practice and the devotion to learning well. Bob’s son was a student at Sutherland.

As with the skills of the sports Bob coached, practice makes perfect - be it sports, music, cooking, sewing, acting, painting, problem solving, scientific experiments and … reading.

BOB was established with the consultation of students, staff and parents.
As educators, we place value on learning opportunities we schedule in the school day.

Did you know reading comprehension is a provincial, district, and school goal?
Did you know Sutherland’s school planning council includes reading as one of its goals?

There are years of research and numerous studies illustrating the benefits of reading. One study showed evidence that 40% of Canadians cannot sufficiently read enough to compete in the job market or complete daily tasks … this is the equivalent of 400 Sutherland students. A second study reported students who achieved lower grades spent less time reading than those with higher grades.

Give 20 minutes, twice a week a chance… in the grand scheme of things… 40 minutes is not a lot of time to commit to a skill you will use for a life time. This amounts to 25 hours in a school year… a little more than one day of uninterrupted reading.

Long Live BOB!
Picture used under Creative Commons license by Yves
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yives/3025506130/sizes/m/