I started reading and all 40 eyeballs were glued to me…
I had the pleasure to read in my daughter’s kindergarten class a few weeks back. Now, I know for some this is no big deal, but for me, this was my first.
The Beginning…
The teacher asked that each family take a turn each week to read one of their child’s favorite book to the class. And our family happened to be the first to start. In other words, having a last name that starts with the letter “A” has its perks…
So, I’ve spoken in front of/and presented to a lot people before. I’ve spoken at conferences and taught trainings more than I could count and I must say, easy…
But this class of 20 little kinder kids at our elementary school was different… With these young kids, I needed to capture their imaginations from the start! For instance, my words and cadence needed to be entertaining so they wouldn’t veer off… I didn’t want to loose their attention! This can’t end bad…
The Book!
We have a library of books in our home. I thought this might be hard… to pick one… My daughter and wife took the time to weigh a few options. In the end, it was simple and we choose the right book just for us…
Stella Rose and the Sea Dragon by Deputy Director at Santa Monica Pier Corporation, Jim Harris, his daughter, Stella Harris, and illustrator, Michael Bailey. A fairly new book and one we love and enjoy.
This book is special because it’s a story of a girl, named Stella Rose, who is facing her fears. But what makes this book very special for me, is that it’s a story at Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier.
Pacific Park is a place I’ve worked at my entire life. And Stella, in ways, is my 5-year-old daughter. She is facing her fears as she takes on the “big” rides, like the West Coaster. Now, I could have never imagined, when I first started working at Pacific Park, that one day I’d share incredible moments with my daughter…
Not to mention, Stella’s favorite boat in this book is one that I designed for Pacific Park. It’s an orange and red boat with flame decals, a ride named Wave Jumper. Similarly, it is also one of my daughter‘s favorite rides.
So this book was it and into class went…
Reading Time!
I started off by asking, “Who here knows about dragons?” Most of the children jumped out of their seats with hands high in the air saying “I DO!” And in my reply, “Well, you’re gonna love this story about a Sea Dragon…”
I started reading and all 40 eyeballs, including the teachers, were glued to me. As I glanced back and forth from the book to the children, I could see the awe in the their faces. I was nervous… And I didn’t want to loose them, but realized, I couldn’t if I tried. It’s going well, they’re hooked! And inside, I was a wreck!
After I finished, I was relieved! I wanted to finish quickly but I made sure I kept my pace. In the end, so many questions were flying my way and my daughter had a smile that eased my heart. Everything was okay… Everyone was all cheers.
In conclusion, a very cool experience that I will treasure thanks to a great book and story! I’m not sure why a few kids rattled me but I can only assume that I wanted to do a great job for my daughter. I just needed to be me!
Get and read this story, especially if your little one enjoys amusement parks! Check out the book here!
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Never stop being creative!
