School’s reading club boosts skills, offers doggone good time

Flame, a Rottweiler going on 10 years old, sat in the middle of a quilt, surrounded by six second-graders. The students stroked his ears and rubbed his belly as they read pages of the book “Lena’s Garden” by Heather Clay.

It’s a Thursday tradition in Karen Dean’s classroom at Alexander II Magnet School in Macon. After the bell has signaled the end of the school day, up to a dozen children stay an hour longer for the Drop Everything and Read to Dogs Club.

Twelve students in second grade were invited to participate in the program to enhance and improve their reading, said Dean, an instructional coach. They go to the classroom at 3:30 p.m. to refresh their skills before Flame and Beau, a Shih Tzu, arrive at 3:50 p.m. with their handlers, Lisa Sims and Jo Caywood.

The students split into two groups, and they take turns reading a page to the dogs, asking them questions and interpreting the text. Special education teacher Amanda Cooper, first-grade teacher Heidi Hintermaier and Dean help with the club.

“Anything we can do to help our kids become fluent readers and enjoy reading, that’s the goal,” said principal Bertha Caldwell. “If they enjoy reading, they will continue to read and it will become a lifelong habit.”

Alexander II has invited therapy dogs into its building for about seven years. Dean saw a TV news segment about Alliance of Therapy Dogs going to another school in the state, and she contacted the organization to see how to start a partnership with Alexander II.

The dogs previously visited with Alexander II first-, second- and third-graders during the instructional day, but the school decided to make it an after-school club for second-graders this year because of scheduling conflicts.

“We have a reading initiative in our district, especially reading on grade level by third grade, so that’s why we picked second grade to inspire a love for reading,” Dean said.

Beau and Flame, registered Alliance Therapy dogs, also have visited children’s hospitals, nursing homes and colleges during final exam time. The two dogs have been coming to the school for about 3 1/2 years, and other therapy dogs did the job before them. The school was a new setting for each of the pups, but they all caught on quickly, Dean said.

“(Beau) likes doing things with people. He just loves the attention. He really likes the kids,” said Caywood, who dressed Beau in a Christmas sweater for the Dec. 8 meeting.

Sims has owned multiple therapy dogs, and Flame follows in the footsteps of his mother and grandmother as a third-generation therapy dog.

“It’s just a blessing for me to be able to share my dogs with kids and help them in the learning process,” Sims said. “(Flame) is just a special dog. She loves people.”

The DEAR Dogs Club provides a non-threatening, nonjudgmental way for students to learn and become stronger readers, Caldwell said. It keeps them engaged, strengthens their listening and reading skills, and gets them excited about reading, Hintermaier said.

“It’s a very relaxed, anxiety-free environment where you can just sit back, laugh, love and enjoy,” Dean said.

Some students start out being afraid of the dogs and sit in the teachers’ laps. But before long, they are petting and kissing the animals, Dean said. Many of the older students consider reading to the dogs among their best school memories.

“The dogs are loved not only by the kids but by the teachers and staff too, because everyone needs their dog therapy,” Dean said. “They just give lots of love.”

This story was originally published December 13, 2016 at 4:53 PM with the headline "School’s reading club boosts skills, offers doggone good time."