When the Mystery Reader comes, it is an exciting time for students. Every Wednesday, the Mystery Reader reads a book to the students in Mr. Castello’s class.
"These are ‘Mystery Readers’ because the children do not know who will be there until they arrive in the classroom - and they love it!" explained Randy Castello, a teacher at Assets since 2011.
The reader is a different person from week to week. It can be a parent, grandparent, auntie, or uncle. Students eagerly try to guess who the Mystery Reader is.
"For the students, they love the stories," Castello shared. "We want to develop in them a joyful experience of reading. They also meet other students' parents or are visited by special people."
What do family members feel about volunteering?
"For the parents, it is fun because they feel like ‘I am in the classroom - when school is going on,’" said Castello. It's not like a parent night. They say, 'I meet the class, see how the children are, then read to them.' The response that they get is almost always positive. For the parents it is excellent. They like to do it."
On Wednesday, August 30, the Mystery Reader was Mother Goose, Remi’s (Class of 2035) grandmother, Ellen Schellhause. She used to work as a librarian.
She read three books from the Brace Library. The books were "Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed," "Maui and the Secret of Fire," and "The Pigeon Wants A Puppy."
Castello credits former Assets kindergarten teacher Caitlin Mates for sharing the idea of the Mystery Reader for the lower grades.