D.E.A.R.

Do you know what D.E.A.R. stands for?
Think Ramona Quimby.

Drop Everything And Read.

It's D.E.A.R. day and we will be dropping!  Maybe around 10:45.
The kids love that in one of the Ramona books, when the clock strikes a certain hour, all the children in the class drop their books to the floor with a loud boom, then of course they read.
I usually don't hear about Ramona without thinking of my favorite teacher.
Mrs. Frangos, second grade.
I'm sure there were lots of good things about her as a teacher but what I remember is that she introduced us to so many classic characters.
She read us Ramona the Pest, Stuart Little, James and the Giant Peach, and Pippi Longstocking.
She sometimes used marionnettes and would occasionally "become" Betty Boop.
And I if I remember correctly, (my mom knows for sure), our visits to Marie's Bookstore increased after second grade.  I'd say that's a pretty good legacy for a teacher to have.

I have a pretty clear memory of getting a brand new book, Ramona Quimby, Age 8.  When we got home with it, I settled on my bed in my room with the light blue walls and the blue carpet and stayed there until I finished the book.  It's on our shelf today.

I have to wonder- what stories will our kids remember?