Bideawee Tails from a Volunteer
READING TO DOGS - IT WORKS!!! by Florence Scarinci
Such a simple concept. Although upon first hearing the idea, some consider it rather silly. Reading to Dogs: a child reading aloud in a quiet corner with a warm, calm, non-judgmental dog listening, does not seem like it would have much of an impact on the educational process. But the program, which involves no large expenditures from shrinking school budgets, no increases in staff or materials, no fancy computers or costly consultants, in the short ten years that it has been implemented has demonstrated not only its capacity to improve children's reading fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary, but also to assist in speech therapy and to raise self-confidence levels.
How do I know that the program does what it purports to do? I have read the studies commissioned in local school districts across the United States that indicate children benefit from the program. But most importantly I have witnessed it.
Here is only one example. Heather is a beautiful little fourth grader. She is always meticulously dressed; her sneakers are color coordinated with her sparkling top; her accessories hint at the fashionista she might become; her hair is always perfectly styled. An outsider, seeing her for the first time, would think she would be a bubbly young lady. She is not. In fact she is far from outgoing. She will not look at me or Penni, or her teacher even when her teacher is speaking to her. She does not raise her hand in class and refuses to answer when called upon. She hugs herself and the wall as she walks, eyes cast downward, to our Reading to Dog session. She barely speaks above a whisper when reading from the latest adventures of Cam Jansen or Horrible Harry. She suffers from what is termed in professional jargon, "selective mutism" which I, without any background in psychology or educational theory, would call "extreme shyness."
I am not so young, and my dog is almost 14 years old. Our auditory faculties are not as acute as they used to be. It frustrates me to sit holding Penni who is steadfastly focused on the page Heather is reading, and not be able to hear what the child is saying. I see Heather's mouth moving but I can barely hear the words. According to the standards set forth by the educators who created the Reading to Dogs program, the handler part of the reading partners team is supposed to be an enthusiastic participant. But how can I be enthusiastic, or helpful, or even keep from yawning, if I cannot hear?
Finally, one day, after weeks of sitting patiently as Heather mumbled, audible only to herself, a bright idea occurred to me. Since the dog is often the mediator for vocabulary comprehension or recall, perhaps the dog could also mediate an elevation in tone. If saying to the student, "Penni doesn't understand the meaning of the word "jovial", would you explain it to her?" results in the child learning a new word, or if asking, "Penni doesn't remember what happened in the chapter you read last week. Would you remind her?" jogs the student's memory of the plot, why wouldn't asking her to speak louder on Penni's behalf cause her to enunciate more clearly? So I said to her, "Penni is getting older and she is becoming hard of hearing. Would you please speak louder so she can hear you? Immediately, Heather's voice became louder. At last I could hear how Cam Jansen's photographic memory assisted the police in the capture of the diamond thief. Even Penni perked up a bit.
Before Heather began to read the next week, I reminded her of Penni's increasing disability. Obviously a sensitive person herself, again she raised her voice, sympathetic to her furry friend's problem. She held that tone and pitch throughout the fifteen minutes she read to Penni.
I don't know if Heather uses her newly found voice in science and math and history classes. I do know that Heather continues to speak in a normal tone in our Reading to Dogs session, and since "nothing succeeds like success" I have hopes that she might find that it is becoming easier to express herself in other situations as well.
Does Reading to Dogs work? Does the human animal bond and interaction have educational value? I would have to shout an enthusiastic "YES!" and maybe Heather would too.
BAW SENIOR DOG FOR A SENIOR
PET THERAPY - NOT JUST FOR GOLDEN RETRIEVERS ANYMORE
BIDEAWEE: A NEW VERSION OF READING TO DOGS
AN UNSCHEDULED THERAPY DOG VISIT
BIDEAWEE DOGS and CATS GO GREEN
BAD ECONOMY BAD FOR DOGS AND CATS
LIFE GOES ON: Bideawee's Pet Loss Support Group
A Therapy Dog at College Teaches Important Lessons
Part 2: ADOPTING AN OLDER DOG: Joys and Challenges
ADOPTING AN OLDER DOG: Joys and Challenges
The Cat Who Changed My Life
The Lonely Cat's Best Friends
Therapy Benefits: What's In It for Me?
