As a parent coming into
the school… The last two years we've had end-of-year celebrations
which gives ASSPA members the opportunity to come in and
talk about what has happened, but also the students to
share what they have been doing through the DWRAT program.
We've had an increase of parents attending. The first
year I think we had about thirty, and then we had about
forty. And this is extended family, this is both parents
either having time off from work or coming in for the
morning, or extended family, family friends and so on.
When it's the kids' turn, they're all arguing, all wanting
to get up and share what they have learned or how they are
reading: 'I can read better now', 'I'm deadly now', 'I can
read, I can do this.'
They are ready to accept the challenge of learning. There
is no shame. I mean for a kid to get up and talk in front
of thirty to forty parents about their reading, or read from
a book or from a piece of work that they've written is absolutely
amazing. It gives me goose bumps even seeing the kids and
I get tears in my eyes and all the parents are like that…
they are just so excited to see their kid up there reading.
But the thing for us is we've got at least forty or fifty
younger kids all arguing to read: 'I want to read first,
I want to do the Kaurna welcomes.' Not only are
they doing the DWRAT stuff, they are learning more about
their own identity and who they are. The role models that
they are sharing with other family members. And that's
the type of stuff that blows me away. Where before with
younger kids it was: 'Shame, I'm not reading, I'm not
getting up in front, I'm standing behind in the background.'
But now, with our kids here, they are raring to go.
