乐播传媒

1st Place Winner

Post 1:

I am working with the Big Buddy reading program at the Boulder Public Library this semester, and I love it. My little buddy is an eight-year-old girl named Jaya. Jaya's world is not filled with rainbows and unicorns like other girls her age, but with the knowledge, she collects through being enthralled with learning. When I asked Jaya what her favorite TV show was, and she told me she only watches documentaries, I knew she would be a special kid. I followed this question up with what her favorite documentary was, and she replied she doesn't have a favorite because she watches new ones all the time. Aside from watching 101 dalmatians occasionally, Jaya loves reading more than any other activity, and her book choices match her documentary fascination. Every week I ask her what she wants to read, and the only thing I know for sure is that the book will be non-fiction. So far, we have read books about hot air balloons, fish, and Japan, which do not correlate. This is because her love for learning governs her world. She is eager to know about anything and everything, so her book topics are all over the place as it helps her learn the most to read different things. She loves to talk about the places she's traveled and her fish, Max. She loves to swim in the pool and write. But most of all, she loves to learn. We are starting the picture book next week, so we have not talked about the topic, but from what I know about Jaya, it will be factual and exciting. Maybe it'll be an autobiography or based on a true story, or perhaps we'll challenge her imagination just this one time to do something creative. Still, whatever we do, I know she will be so excited to write and illustrate her book, with me helping her do so.

Post 2:

One challenge I have encountered while working with my little buddy during the Tuesday Reading Buddies program at the Boulder Public Library is prompting her storytelling without her copying the words I am telling her. I'll admit that I have a very active imagination, and my little buddy, Jaya, her non-fiction-loving self, occasionally needs me to help her develop her ideas further. I try to phrase my thoughts open-ended so she can figure out where to direct the story herself, but sometimes I give her a complete sentence that she puts straight into her book without changing. As our sessions continue and we continue working on her book, I will try and get her to add more of her style into the sentences to help her make it her own. Overall it continues to be a pleasure to work with Jaya, and I look forward to working with her every Tuesday. I can't wait to see how she develops her story and makes it more of her own!听

Post 3:

听听 听This was my first semester working with Ling 1900, and I can not believe that my time as a Big Buddy for Reading Buddies at the Boulder Public Library is ending. I went into this experience with little to no expectations, and now the end is right around the corner, and part of me wishes it wasn't over. Although I do not have time to participate in future semesters, I have thoroughly enjoyed this program. If my schedule works out, I would consider doing the program again, although it is not likely.听

听听 听My little buddy Jaya and I have less than two weeks to finish our story, and I am very anxious that we will not finish in time. She loves illustrating her story and making her drawings as detailed as her writing to the point where I am pushing her to work as efficiently as I can the whole time. Despite this, I know we will finish it, and I am excited to see the finished book.听

听听 听Jaya has taught me a lot through our time working together and has reminded me how fun it is to be a kid. I am so happy that we got to be so creative together and make each other laugh every Tuesday. The only challenge we ever faced was being worried we didn't have enough time to finish coloring, and I am beyond grateful that this was the case. We were a great pair, and although we did not have challenges that caused me to be forced to learn the hard way, I learned so much about the value of fun education on children's desire to participate in educational activities. Reading, writing, and drawing reach deep into children's creativity, which is essential to exercise in everyday life.听

听听 听Once again, I am so honored to be a part of Reading Buddies, and I can't wait to see Jaya and my finished book.

听