Throughout the months of January and February, David Kaiser, principal at St. James Lutheran School, has visited his preschool students at their homes for a unique learning experience.
Kaiser asked for the parents of each of the preschoolers to sign up for a time where he would be able to come to the preschooler’s home and read a bedtime story on the couch to each student. Kaiser asked for each of the preschoolers to wear their pajamas so right after he left, the parents would be able to send their preschoolers to bed.
When he arrived to a student’s home, Kaiser was not wearing a suit and tie like the students see him in during the school day. Instead, the principal was wearing a pair of flannel pajamas, a sleep hat, a bathrobe and a pair of chicken slippers.
“I am trying to show each young student that he or she should be reading not just at school, but at home as well,” Kaiser said. “I feel that schools need to do a better job of encouraging recreational reading, as well as the reading required for school coursework. Travel was a bit dicey at times, but the students are too important to miss an appointment.”
Not only did the child get to have the principal visit for a bedtime story, the child also got to keep the book that he or she chose. Knowing that cold weather was coming, students were also able to choose a cocoa mug, a packet of cocoa and a free T-shirt. The reading program ends in the middle of February.
Beans and Books bookstore and Thrivent Financial donated generously to allow the preschool reading program to take place.