Pre-K KOREH Corner

By Lidia Epelbaum,
Pre-K KOREH Co-Chair and Volunteer

Talia Scharlin, Lidia Epelbaum, and Bea Chankin-Weisberg.

My father taught me the alphabet. He did not expect me to learn to read. I was too young. He just found a good game for me to play while he read the newspaper. He showed me what the letter “A” looked like and then had me circle all the A’s I could find on a newspaper page. I sat next to him, on the floor, and I patiently spent hours just circling letters while waiting for my father to finish reading his newspaper. Then, I thought, we could play some more games together.

There is a magical experience when working one-to-one with a child. Learning almost becomes automatic. When I sit with my “reading partner,” I feel her eagerness to listen to the words that I am reading. She turns the pages of the book, and looks at me in amazement, following every single word I say. She laughs at the funny parts, she expresses concern when there is a conflict in the story, and she loves happy endings. After 45 minutes of reading, I am ready to stop, but she always asks “please, one more book.”

She loves the one-to-one-interaction with an adult. She listens carefully and likes the attention. She reminds me of that time long ago, when I would sit next to my father playing with the alphabet. She is happily talking, listening and absorbing as long as I am sitting next to her. Reading to her has been a rewarding experience for me.

I am filled with joy knowing that so many of our Pre-K KOREH volunteers have similar experiences. As we renew our commitment to Pre-K KOREH this fall, we are renewing our commitment to passing on the love of reading, and to giving children the extra attention they need in preparation for kindergarten.

Lidia Epelbaum and Bea Chankin-Weisberg are the fantastic
Co-Chairs of Pre-K KOREH.