Have you ever been caught……READING ON A SCHOOL BUS?!!!! Students within the MSAD #11 School District have been caught reading as they enjoy the opportunity to read books on the bus to and from school! The School Bus Book Bag project is the brilliant and creative idea of Mr. Don Sanders, a school bus driver for MSAD #75 in Topsham, Maine. He shared books with the very youngest students on his bus from his own home library in an effort to help them learn to sit in their seats quietly as they traveled to and from school each day. He noticed there was less disruptive behaviors on the bus and an eagerness by the older students to read to the younger students. The project also helped share further literacy throughout the community!
The idea has come home to the MSAD #11 school district through a collaborative effort of the Gardiner Public Library, the MSAD #11 Transportation Department, and the non-profit, Maine Educational Connections for Children and Adults. The project has already grown from six buses carrying the book bags to almost a dozen buses sharing books from the local library! The book bags are alternated between the buses on a regular basis to keep the topics interesting and engaging for the students. Reading on the bus has fostered more love for reading, built a stronger foundation for literacy, promoted more positive family enrichment, connected children and families to the opportunity for their own library cards. It also has promoted further bus safety and a mentoring between older and younger students on the bus. One bus driver, Frederica, has exclaimed, “My kids love the books and are doing well!” Overall, the further growth of our healthy communities and the success of our children’s education has come from further reading opportunities! What do you think? Want to get caught reading? We have!!!