When Park Elementary fifth grader Nathan Schock was awarded a Claire’s Award for Reading Excellence (C.A.R.E.) at Claire’s Day in May 2012, he did something unusual: he asked Claire’s Day author Brandon Marie Miller to autograph his book for his teacher, Mrs. Christine Elliott.
“Mrs. Elliott was a very kind teacher for helping me so much with my reading,” said Nathan. “I had the author sign the book for Mrs. Elliott because she was my favorite teacher. ”
The C.A.R.E Awards were created to recognize students like Nathan who demonstrate marked improvement in their reading skills. The awards are given to students at the Claire’s Day family book festival held annually at the public library in Maumee, Ohio, on the third Saturday in May. Students are presented with a special C.A.R.E. Award Certificate in front of the audience of family and friends. Each award recipient also receives a certificate to select a book to take home, written or illustrated by a participating Claire’s Day author or illustrator.
Like all C.A.R.E. award winners, Nathan was not initially a strong reader. His mother confided, “Nathan has struggled with reading since starting school. We moved him to Park Elementary for fourth grade. At that time, he was reading at a second grade level. By the end of fifth grade, he was reading at a fifth grade level.”
Mrs. Elliott knew that Nathan a perfect candidate for a C.A.R.E. “Nathan was working hard and listening to everything that both the intervention specialist and I recommended. As his skills in reading comprehension improved, he recognized it, and challenged himself to do more. He might not admit it, but he fell in love with reading. When a student works that hard, it’s a wonderful thing to be able to reward him.”
The award meant a lot to Nathan. “I thought it was special because I have had difficulty reading, so being most improved reader nominated by Mrs. Elliott felt really good.” His parents were pleased as well. “We were very proud of Nathan. [His reading] continues to improve, and the recognition for his achievement and hard work was a great ego boost for him. Kids that have difficulty reading do not get recognized for academic achievement very often. I think it is a very positive way to show that we all recognize how much work and effort they put forth to succeed at school.”
After receiving his award, Nathan knew that he wanted to choose a book for his favorite teacher, and the book he chose was an easy decision. “It was a book about George Washington by Brandon Marie Miller. I chose it because Mrs. Elliott is a social studies teacher and we had to write reports about people from history. I chose George Washington because her students could use the book for research about George Washington for their projects. I looked at all of the books available at Claire’s Day, and this one just made me think of Mrs. Elliott. I wanted to thank her, so I decided to pick a social studies/history book for her.”
Nathan was thrilled to meet Claire’s Day Author, Brandon Marie Miller. “It was exciting to meet the author. I have never met an author face to face before. I had only been in large groups during author visits at my school so it was interesting meeting her face to face. I asked the author to sign the book to – ‘Mrs. Elliott, the best teacher ever.’”
Mrs. Elliott was surprised and deeply moved to receive the signed book from Nathan. “She cried!” said Nathan. “I can laugh now,” chuckled Mrs. Elliott. “But Nathan is correct. I cried. I was really touched. I will always treasure Nathan’s kindness and thoughtfulness.”
Nathan’s mother was very proud of her son’s display of gratitude, and felt Mrs. Elliott was deserving of this recognition. “I had the opportunity to substitute teach in a class with Mrs. Elliott and she works very well with her students. She is encouraging, patient, and she has a great sense of humor that puts her students at ease and creates an awesome environment for teaching. If any teacher deserves to be recognized the way Nathan did for her, it is Mrs. Elliott. I think I cried when Mrs. Elliott did!”
Mrs. Elliott has been a supporter of Claire’s Day for many years, and has found the program helps her to maintain perspective as a teacher. “I think Claire’s Day is an exceptionally wonderful program,” she said. “As teachers, many times we worry about teaching them how to read, and forget to teach or show them to love reading. I can vividly remember my elementary teachers reading out loud to me, and how I could get lost in my imagination! I could’ve listened to them for hours!”
“It’s fun to see a kid get lost in a good book. Claire’s Day gives educators a day that is just about celebrating the art of being an author. It’s not about a test score, but about the hard work and dedication a student puts in to their personal best. Students get an opportunity to meet authors, see their work, and hear their stories. It is a priceless experience.”
The 12th Annual Claire’s Day is scheduled May 18, 2013. Elementary and middle school principals may nominate one child from each class, each grade level. To nominate a student from your school, contact schools@clairesday.org.
