Reading empowers students to become lifelong learners and gives them a unique sort of freedom that only reading can. That’s why LeVar Burton, actor, director and co-founder of RRKidz, is passionate about providing resources that make literature relevant for young readers. Burton credits his passion for reading and his commitment to serving the greater good to his mother, Erma Gene Christian, who worked as an English teacher and social worker. Later, through his work on the Roots miniseries, he experienced how powerful and compelling storytelling in a popular medium could be when created with intention. It was then that Burton realized that kids could be inspired to love reading if the material were presented in a medium that they understand and care about. In the 1980’s that meant T.V., but today it means digital access, which is how RRKidz and its Reading Rainbow-style resources were born. With versions for both families and schools, RRKidz continues to provide resources and a digital library of books that spark a love of reading in early and emerging readers, just as Reading Rainbow did in its time. Another lesson that Burton has learned and shares in this video is to not wait to understand the end destination before taking the next step. “You don’t need to know the end of the story, when you’re in Chapter 3,” he says. “Take the step that’s right in front of you.” Read more and find more compelling stories like this one by visiting the ISTE EdTekHub: http://bit.ly/2bgLHXN

Leave a Reply