Sheryl Weber reads "The Hog Mollies and the Pickle Pie Party" to second-graders at Prospect Elementary School.
Nearly five
years into retirement, Sheryl Weber is back in the classroom twice a month, going
the extra mile to encourage young children to read.
Weber, a member of the Mansfield City Schools Board of Education, is among volunteers who read the Ohio State University-created “Hog Mollies” books to second-graders throughout the district.
But Weber does more than simply read and go on her way. Last week, she read “The Hog Mollies and the Pickle Pie Party” to Ivy Kithcart’s class at Prospect Elementary School. Next week she will return with a tray of various types of pickles.
“After each student has sampled the pickles we will use math skills to create a graph to show which pickles were the favorites,” Weber said.
A district
administrator and teacher for more than three decades, Weber draws her young
listeners into the story, then pauses to emphasize new vocabulary words.
“What’s an ‘attic’?” she asked when the word popped up during the “Pickle Pie Party.” A few pages later, the kids offered their thoughts on the meaning of “ingredients.”
Next week’s pickle-tasting and graph-making won’t be Weber’s first venture beyond simply reading the story.
When an
earlier book centered on teamwork involved in planting a garden, she brought in
beans which the children wrapped in wet paper towels, placed in bags and
secured to a window. When the plants began to sprout, the kids took them home.
On another
occasion Weber supplemented the Hog Mollies story about good nutrition by
bringing a large platter of cut-up fruits and vegetables. Some of the
second-graders discovered that they actually liked broccoli and cauliflower.
The adventures of the Hog Mollies – Duke, Sprout, Hoppy and Harley – teach life lessons about respect, kindness and working together. The books are written and distributed by The 2nd and 7 Foundation, launched 20 years ago by Buckeye football players Mike Vrabel, Luke Fickell and Ryan White.
Superintendent Stan Jefferson, a longtime assistant in the OSU football program, brought the Hog Mollies series to Mansfield last fall. Thirteen volunteer readers visit second-grade classrooms twice monthly. Each student receives a free copy of each month’s book.
“Our goal is to excite children about reading,” Weber said. “I look forward to interacting with the students as we explore a new book each month. They enjoy it and so do I.”