Forbush High Celebrates Dr. Seuss' Birthday With 25 Minutes of Reading

Thursday, March 2, was children’s author Dr. Seuss’s ninety-sixth birthday. Dr. Seuss, whose real name is Theodor Geisel, is best known for his Beginner Books Series. The series © and ™ Dr. Seuss Enterprises L.P. 1999 books such as The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! The characters that Seuss created to accompany his rhyme-filled books, like Sam-I-Am, the Cat in the Hat, and he Grinch, are as memorable as his books themselves.

Children and adults have been enjoying Dr. Seuss’s stories for four generations.

“A person’s a person, no matter how small!” Dr. Seuss claimed. "Children want the same things we want. To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained, and delighted.”

Dr. Seuss’s charm and respect for children is the reason that his method of teaching children how to read is most effective. Seuss has taught many children the basics of reading with his unusual words and funny cartoons.

For three years in a row, the NEA (National Education Association) has held Read Across America to celebrate the famed author’s accomplishment and birth, and to encourage adults and children alike to read.

Last year alone, 20 million children celebrated Seuss’s birthday by reading in class. In honor of Seuss, rock stars at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame read to and with children, and in baseball stadiums, kids had the opportunity to spend time with Cal Ripken as they enjoyed reading Seuss’s books. Other people celebrated the late author in many other spectacular ways.

This year, Forbush High School also celebrated the beloved author’s birthday by holding a 15-minute silent reading time. Students throughout the school were given the opportunity read, a time that they may not always have. The Read Across America project gave students a reason to read, which eliminated the typical excuse why they can’t read.

There were mixed opinions regarding the silent reading time on Thursday. When asked about how they felt about the sustained reading, some students said they really enjoyed it for many different reasons while others found it intrusive and useless.

Nevertheless, reading is vital to success. Students should take time out, even as little as 10 minutes a day, to read. They can read a novel, a joke book, or perhaps the wonderful school paper. Reading 10 minutes a day is better than not reading at all.

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