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Story Archives: Scallan works to get children 'hooked on reading'


Scallan works to get children 'hooked on reading'
by Scott Rogers - posted Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 @ 9:49 pmE-mail Story E-mail Story | Print Story Print Story 
Local children's author Dee Scallan never tires of seeing the enthusiasm her young students exhibit as she shows them how to create their own stories and books.

Scallan of West Monroe is the creator of the Moby Pincher stories. She also has operated a private pre-school here for the past 25 years.

On Saturday, Scallan took part in the Northeast Louisiana Technology Fair at West Monroe High School where hundreds of people gathered for various educational seminars throughout the day.

Scallan was joined by Emily Williamson of the University of Louisiana-Monroe for a session titled, "Creating Interactive Children's Books on Computers."

Dozens of area school teachers joined Scallan and Williamson to learn how to use the creative method to improve their students' reading and writing skills.

Williamson said the goal is to give teachers additional tools to get more children "hooked on reading."

"Sometimes it's hard to get them focused with traditional books, but today, more and more children can stay on the computer for hours," Williamson said. "If we look at some children's attention spans, they will only read in short bursts, but if we put them on the computer, we can get them hooked on reading, and when they get hooked on reading, they will be more successful."

Scallan routinely visits local schools. She has seen a need for more creativity in students' daily instructions.

"They need that creativity because it's been taken out as you all know," Scallan said. "We need to get art back into the classrooms and have them enjoy what they are doing and have fun."

"I think they learn more when they are having fun," Scallan added.

She said allowing children to write their own books is one way to encourage more reading among youth and to give them a creative outlet.

Daniel Myers, 11, formerly of West Monroe, was a student of Scallan's Montessori pre-school.

He now illustrates Scallan's Moby Pincher stories that are showcased all over the state. When he first heard the stories of Moby Pincher, he wanted to draw the character himself. At age 8, he illustrated her first book, and now accompanies Scallan all over the country during autograph sessions and educational seminars.

Myers now lives in Baton Rouge and currently is working on Scallan's next Moby Pincher book.

"When he was 3 he couldn't write his name, but he could draw," Scallan said. "He's never had an art lesson."

"I never tell him what to draw; I just hand him the words," Scallan continued. "He draws extremely fast. It may take him a week to draw it, and then he'll color it.

"For the last book, it took him a month to color it because he did it in watercolor."

Scallan said one of the purposes of her visits to local schools is to increase student's reading comprehension. She says that after children write their own book, they'll understand stories better, and their reading comprehension will improve.

She says area schools have reported increased scores in reading and writing among the students who have participated in Scallan's interactive classes.

"I tell them, 'Boys and girls, we are going to be authors,' and I'll ask them to write about things that are native to Louisiana," Scallan said.

She'll give students an example, such as an ant, and she'll ask them to describe the ant by writing about its personality, where it lives, what it looks like and other traits.

The students write their own story and illustrate it, and their books are later hard-bound and placed in the school library.

Scallan is now in the process of putting the student's works on her web site at www.mobypincher.com.

"The kids get very excited, and the principals do, too," Scallan said. "One little boy ran up to me one time and thanked me and said this was the most fun thing they had done all year.

"We tell them that they are real authors, and that just lights up their eyes. Hundreds of other children will come along and read their books. And, we say, if their own children come to their school, then they will get to read this book, too. Knowing that book is in the school library is super important to them."
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