June 7, 2023 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Young Readers Thrive in SMC Program:

By Samuel Harwood

The simple act of reading aloud serves as the beginning of an education for some and as a continuation for others. The Reading Mentors program at the Pico Branch Library has been developed to accommodate the full spectrum of learning stages.

Initiated two years ago as a partnership between the library and Santa Monica College (SMC), the program allows children in grades K-5 from the Venice and Santa Monica area the opportunity to read socially with SMC student volunteers.

It started with a course taught by SMC professor Steve Kaufman called “Philosophy in Children’s Literature,” which uses children’s books to give students the tools to think, write and communicate philosophically, and asks a central question: “Do adults necessarily know better than children?”

While Prof. Kaufman started the Reading Mentors program as a way to answer that question while providing a chance for students to fulfill their community service opportunity, it has inspired growth in both the adults and children involved. Many of the volunteers in the program, now in its third semester, have continued to participate long after fulfilling the requirement.

“I’m moving back to Tennessee in June but if I wasn’t then I would still participate every year,” says two-term reading mentor Seth Worsham.

Occurring weekly over two six-week sessions a year, groups are divided into three to four children per mentor who take turns reading page-by-page, stopping to discuss completed sections. The discussions vary from movies of which a certain section reminded the children to philosophical questions such as, in Prof. Kaufman’s words, “What does it mean to be a Moose? If you put a human brain in a robot’s body is the robot still a robot? What is a friend? Would you rather have all the money in the world or would you rather have all the happiness in the world?”

So not only do the kids involved – many of whom are first generation immigrants – receive extra reading assistance, but they are inspired to ask universal questions. And the students, who may not have interacted with young children before, learn to maneuver through potentially uncomfortable situations. 

“The children start realizing that they have philosophical and critical abilities and the students, the SMC students realize too that there’s not much difference between children and adults,” said Kaufman.

in News
Related Posts

(Video) The Grand Opening Ceremony For Made With PRIDE Marketplace Speech From Santa Monica Mayor Gleam Davis

June 6, 2023

June 6, 2023

The Made with PRIDE Marketplace is located on level one in Center Plaza in Santa Monica Place which is located...

(Video) Deputy Under Secretary of the Army Visits SMC to Discuss Student Veteran Opportunities

June 6, 2023

June 6, 2023

Deputy Under Secretary of the Army Mario Diaz visited Santa Monica College to talk with student leaders on how to...

Felony DUI Arrest Made After Severe Crash

June 5, 2023

June 5, 2023

A Volkswagen Jetta Veered off the Road, Into a Pedestrian Shortly before midnight on June 2, the Santa Monica Police...

Santa Monica City Council Takes Action To Criminalize Catalytic Converter Theft

June 5, 2023

June 5, 2023

After Historic Rise In Catalytic Converter Thefts, The New Ordinance Passes Unanimously By Dolores Quintana In the Santa Monica City...

(Video) A First Look At The Made With Pride Marketplace In Santa Monica

June 5, 2023

June 5, 2023

We were at the ribbon cutting ceremony and the official opening this morning. Made With Pride is located at 395...

(Video) Rents in Santa Monica Dipped in May

June 4, 2023

June 4, 2023

May’s dip negated a gain seen the previous month. @smmirrornews Rents in Santa Monica dropped during May #realestate #santamonica #californiarent...

Former Waymo CEO Purchases Santa Monica Canyon Home

June 4, 2023

June 4, 2023

John Krafcik Settled Into a Modern Twist on a Classic Mid-Century Compound John Krafcik, former CEO of Waymo, has found...

New Business and Personal Lines Property and Casualty Insurance Paused In California

June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023

Allstate and State Farm Say Currently Insured Homeowners Will Not Be Affected  After State Farm announced a pause on new...

(Video) Mayor Karen Bass Speaks At The Memorial Day Ceremony At The Los Angeles National Cemetery

June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023

This was the first ceremony that had been held in person at The National Cemetery since 2019 and before the...

Film Review: The Little Mermaid

June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023

FILM REVIEWTHE LITTLE MERMAIDRated PG135 MinutesReleased May 26th With today’s technological developments, a live-action The Little Mermaid is not only...

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Has Appointed A New Superintendent

June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023

Antonio M. Shelton, Ed.D. Appointment Will Be Effective July 1, 2023 In a late afternoon press release, The Santa Monica-Malibu...

Clerk Charged With Selling Alcohol to Minor

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

The Incident Was Part of a Minor Decoy Operation The Santa Monica Police Department issued a citation to a clerk...

Extra Officers Deployed for Motorcyclists’ Violations

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

Speeding Is the Primary Cause of Motorcycle Crashes The Santa Monica Police Department deployed additional officers on patrol June 1...

Santa Monica Police Department Releases First Quarter Crime Report

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

Decrease in Calls for Service, Increase in Arrests, Shifts in Part I Offenses The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) has...

Free Meals for WGA Members During Strike at Bob’s Big Boy and Swingers Diner

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

Comedian and Host Drew Carey Is Paying For Meals For Striking WGA Members By Dolores Quintana As the Writers Guild...