When I began working at Ridgewood Elementary School as a first grade teacher, I quickly realized I had found the right school for me. I felt comfortable with the principal and the other teachers, and Ridgewood was working hard to teach students at a high level. But something bothered me: a lack of parent involvement. 

I wanted to improve the climate of good partnerships and started in my own classroom. I made sure to call or write to parents when their children did something particularly praiseworthy. I invited parents to class celebrations and tried to get to know the families of my students. 

But some families were harder to reach, and I wanted to do more. One of my students, Tom, was a sweet boy but a reluctant reader, and it was difficult to get in touch with his family because both parents worked long hours.

With families like Tom’s in mind, my colleagues and I decided to implement monthly Family Reading Nights at the school. With a team of 3 teachers, a parent, and the school librarian, we met twice a month to plan all the details. In March, the committee decided to have a Dr. Seuss themed Family Reading night.

When that night arrived, families came to school early and sat in the lobby, talking and reading together. I was very pleased to see Tom and his father. Soon, over 100 people were there, students from kindergarten to 5^th grade, their siblings, parents, and other relatives.

At 5:30 we moved into the gym, decorated with white balloons, yellow streamers, and banners that proclaimed “Reading is Fun!” Mrs. Tess, the parent on the planning committee, arrived with 100 dinners donated from local fast food restaurants. A local grocery store provided the cups, silverware, and napkins. I provided the drinks. It was truly a community effort!

After dinner, two student groups performed.  The 5^th grade Statistics Club had asked each class in the school what their favorite Dr. Seuss book was. Then they represented the results using a bar graph, pictograph, pie chart, and line graph, and presented their findings to the families on big posterboard. The winner? The Cat in the Hat!

The first-graders performed a Reader’s Theatre of The Cat In The Hat. Tom was one of the performers. He seemed nervous at first, but when he saw his dad clapping in the front row, he beamed.

After the presentations, the families split up into two groups for an activity. The goal of the activity was “Reading and creative thinking.” Pictures of animals from the Dr. Seuss book If I Ran the Zoo were on display. Students were asked to create their own animals and write about them. I saw Tom stuck reading one of the instructions. His dad helped him sound out the word. Then Tom smiled and continued with the activity. Afterwards, families exhibited their animals and teachers read If I Ran the Zoo out loud.

On the survey we gave out at the end of Family Reading night, all of the comments were positive.  “Have more Family Reading Nights!”  “What about funny stories night?”  I saw Tom and his dad leaving together, Tom with his reading packet in hand.

The next day at school, the halls were buzzing about the Dr. Seuss Family Reading Night. Our Family Reading Night was successful for so many reasons: a group of dedicated teachers and parents, the student performances, dinner, family-friendly workshops, child care, and take-home activity packets.

But I knew it had been a true success when Tom came up to me in the library and asked, “Ms. Hutchins, when is the next Family Reading Night?”