Term 3 saw the start of the DIRT reading program in Year 7. This program (which is an acronym for Daily Independent Reading Time) is designed to get the boys reading more consistently. Something that we believe will benefit the boys in all of their subjects.

As a Mathematics teacher, I can say that beyond a doubt, one of the biggest obstacles for boys in their senior years is the literary demands of examinations. I suspect that teachers of other subjects would see the same in their students. As a result, the DIRT program is something that the whole school is behind.

You would have received information about the program in the mail earlier in the term and on the whole, we are very happy with how the boys have embraced this program and kept their log books up to date. The boys who sleep the night at Joeys have at least 15 minutes reading time before they go to sleep each evening and in speaking with the boys, it has been great to hear how boys are excited about how many books they have read. One boy told me that he had never finished a book before – he finished two in Term 3!

For boys who go home each evening, we do ask parents to keep encouraging their sons to read for at least 15 minutes each night. It is amazing how quickly the benefits of regular reading become noticeable and we certainly do believe that if boys are to achieve to their academic potential, consistent reading will be one of the keys.

Pictured in Photo:  Sam de Courcy (Greenwich)