While some teachers and educators might be happy to finish with their work at 4PM, this elementary school principal is still connecting with her students even after she goes home for the day.
42-year-old Belinda George is the principal of Homer Drive Elementary in Beaumont, Texas. She is also the star of “Tucked-In Tuesdays”, a tradition that she started as a means of ensuring that her students can have a bedtime story and feel encouraged to read more books.
Every Tuesday evening, George cozies up in her pajamas, grabs a children’s book, and reads aloud to her students from her home using Facebook Live.
RELATED: Fifth Graders Launch Their Own Kindness Club at School – and Bullied Kids Are Already Benefiting
As she reads, George prompts her viewers to think about the book and make inferences as they progress through the story. Additionally, students from her own school can earn advanced reader points as rewards for listening in.
Though she originally started the weekly video segment in order to connect with her own students, she has quickly gained followers from youngsters across the country.
George says that 94% of her students come from disadvantaged homes, and they have had trouble keeping up their literacy scores in years past.
MORE: The Science of The Magic Hour – Why We Should Read to Each Other – Especially Our Kids
Since George took over as principal of the school last year, however, Homer Drive has already seen improvements in literacy and reading comprehension scores – and it may be partially thanks to her Tucked-In Tuesdays.
Though she does not have any biological children of her own, George told The Washington Post: “The bottom line is I love, love kids. I know if I don’t reach them outside of school, I [may] never reach them in school.”
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by Homer Drive Elementary
Help Your Friends Read This Story By Sharing It To Social Media…