Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/477973
Celebrity readers, pledging to read, eating green eggs and face painting were just a few ways the love of reading was celebrated across California March 2. "Reading is the key to everything," said CTA President Dean Vogel. He read to Janet Robertson's third-graders, who "recommended books to me, and the diversity of their interests was amazing. This school, Orchard Elementary in Vacaville, was the last school I worked at as a classroom teacher, and now I'm here in my last year as CTA president. This has a very special meaning." CTA Vice President Eric Heins pointed out that read- ing should be valued all year round rather than on just one day, which is why CTA launched California Reads, a program that strives to make regular readers of young people and increase their odds of completing high school. California Reads offers teacher-approved quarterly book recommendations for all age groups, including adults. "It's a way of firing up the imagination," said Heins. "It's not just the learning. It's making kids curious about their interests and making them lifelong learners." CTA & You 49 V O L U M E 1 9 I S S U E 7