SALT LAKE CITY, Utah: Meet Ross, the newest reading teacher to grace the national elementary public school system. Kids look forward to his reading classes. He is patient, unbiased, and loves kids very much. Instead of a pay check, he gets paid by treats and an occasional ear and belly rub.
Ross is a dog. Yes, that's right - he is one of the many dogs who have made their way into school corridors and earned the right to become reading teachers to elementary school children.
In 1999, Intermountain Therapy Animals launched Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D), a literacy program aimed at improving a child's reading skills. The program is based upon the concept of kids reading to dogs and has spread quickly across the US and Canada, with more than 750 dog-handler teams in the US alone. Other animal-therapy programs quickly followed, such as Therapy Dogs International's Children Reading to Dogs program and Canine Assisted Reading Education (or C.A.R.E. to Read program).
According to studies conducted by the America Reads Program, around 40 percent of fourth-grade children read below grade level. If children do not master reading skills by the third grade, they run the risk of falling further behind in school. As former and current First Ladies Barbara and Laura Bush put it, "If children do not learn how to read, they could not lead."
This is where dogs come in. While they cannot read, they can listen very well. Studies have shown that having dogs as company reduces anxiety and stress levels. Dogs give children the means to improve their reading skills by providing let them with a stress-free environment.
"Dogs do not judge you and do not laugh when you make mistakes," R.E.A.D therapy dog handler Barbara Murgo told CBS News' Debby Turner. "Children are less scared to read to a dog rather than to their peers or teachers."
A study made by the National Centre for Education Statistics reported that children who don't read for fun get lower grades than children who do. When these cute and cuddly animals listen to the children read, it creates a more enjoyable environment. The dogs are like buddies who motivate the kids to read.
"Anything that could get the kids to pick up a book and read makes the program very valuable," a school principal told CBS News. Using this program, children now see reading as an enjoyable activity, rather than just some boring school subject.
In addition, kids do not question the dog's listening skills. They actually believe that the dogs are really into their story, making them want to read more and more. "He sits there and looks at the book when I show it to him," a youngster told CBS' Debby Turner. Sometimes, when kids ask a dog which story the dog wants to hear, the dog points his nose on a certain book choice.
However, not all canines are cut out to be a teacher. They need to have the proper health, temperament, and cleanliness. They also have to sit or lie still for long periods of time - even longer for kids who read slowly.
Dogs provide more than just comfort, companionship and friendship. They are heroes, bomb-sniffers and crime fighters. They are even life's greatest teachers. It comes as no surprise that they are now school staples managing to give the word teacher's pet a completely different meaning.
this is true our german shepherd marky sits beside my daughter when i read her bedtime stories and she likes it. no storytelling if marky is not beside her
who would've thought that dogs can actually be used as tools in teaching kids to read. as long as it can help me teach my kids to read, then i will most definitely try it out.
this story is quite interesting. i've never heard of dogs helping kids improve their reading skills but if its effective then i'm all for it.
Another one of the endless ways on how dogs help people... sigh. don't you just love dogs? :)
and i really thought that this was about a dog that can somehow read. silly me.. well dogs do wonders in their own small ways
i wonder what kind of dog breeds they use. but what happens if a student is allergic or something? also, not all kids like dogs. some of them might get scared. as long as they can assure the parents that their kids are safe, i guess it's alright.
Very nice! the things that dogs can do are amazing! my niece once told me the story that she loves reading because of their new teacher - a golden retriever! isn't taht the cutest?
yeah and what if the kids just decide that playing with the dog is more fun than reading? lol!
I wonder how they can get the dogs to stay put in one place... and awake too! and if these kids read an entire book, that's like asking the dog to stay put for half and hour to an hour! i can barely get my dogs to stay put for a minute!
Well dogs dont criticize but dogs can bark if they dont like what ur reading.. lol..
Dogs get to do so many stuff. It's only proper coz cats would just sleep or wander off. Though they are therapeutic, they are not exactly motivators. Probably their reading time would just end up being nap time! lol!
if thats the case then they schools should consider creating like a reading program where dogs are a part of the reading classes.. having dogs around is i think a better alternative to having kids hang out with inanimate things like toys..
If dogs are such positive influences on students, why not make them a staple in some schools right? Not just in reading, but in other subjects as well. It creates a good and relaxing environment. I sure would have needed that during our math exams!
Toys arent just inanimate objects.. some are really helpful and important in the developing years of a kid.. toys help develop motor skills.
cool! what kinds of dog are best for these activities? my sister and i have a new golden retriver i'd like for him to do those reading programs.
or take the kids to the zoo! its an alternative place where kids can do their reading instead of always bringing the dogs to the schools why not take the kids to where the animals are?
My therapy dog does this reading program in our public libraries. The dogs do hold still just fine. In our program, they are not necessarily required to maintain alertness, though some do. We just let the kids know that closing their eyes helps the dogs concentrate better--since we do 1.5 hour stints, it would indeed be difficult for the dogs to always stay at attention. The children really seem to enjoy it and certain children like reading to certain dogs and the dogs
if this just involves sitting down and listening to kids read.. then am sure cats can do it too.. hooray to the kitties!
well...i normally read with my dog when i get home from work. i love it when he just lies down beside me and somehow listens while i read. i just really find it relaxing.
and how abt ur dog? is he relaxed by listening to you? LOL. peace
I'm just curious. Is there such a thing as a therapy cat? Seems like dogs are always the therapy animals. When a cat cuddles by you, hey that's therapeutic!