Reading is important

MIA HENDERSON

Ten-year-old Jaylun Goodridge is a testament to the importance of reading at a young age.

The standard four student of El Socorro Central Government was the only child to complete the passage in under five minutes, winning him first place in the fourth annual prose reading competition, hosted by the Tunapuna Open Bible Church On The Way, on June 29. It's theme was 'a book a week makes me sleek'. The competition targets standard four boys attending schools from Laventille to Arima and aims to improve literacy among boys, who the church believes “are often viewed as underachievers in many societies." Students were given a selected script to read – unrehearsed – before a live audience and judges and they were critiqued on pace, volume, expression, phrasing and smoothness.

Jaylun believes the time his parents took to read to him and his younger brother contributed to his enthusiasm for reading.

“My daddy and mummy used to lie down with me and read when I was younger and I really liked the books they would read, so I continued to read,” Jaylun told Newsday Kids. Rashida Clarke, Jaylun’s mother, recalled many times when she would find him tucked away in his room for hours with his favourite book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which he has read more times than he can count.

When he was asked to sign up to the competition, Jaylun said he felt a huge pressure to do well for himself and his school.

"I felt nervous, I had this responsibility that they put on my shoulders. My teacher just put it in front of me and told me to 'ask mummy to enter the competition,'" he said. But despite his initial anxiety, he is glad he entered.

“It feels like an honour. People will recognise me as the winner of this competition for my school and I’m just proud of myself,” he said, thanking his mother and brother who coached him to success.

During the competition, Jaylun believed his biggest challenge was using the facial expressions and body language necessary to best convey the meaning of the passage and advised future contestants that this is the key to success.

"I just read the story to get an idea of what emotion I need to bring out, I just listen to what mummy said and how she would tell me to bring more expression.”

Jaylun doesn’t see the need to choose between academia and extra curricular activities. “If (boys) have the capability... they can do both.”

Despite his excellence in English and love for mathematics, he is a lover of ballroom dancing, specifically the fast-paced bachata which originated in the Dominican Republic. He also loves to sing and play the pan and wants to learn to play other instruments.

He is preparing for the Secondary Entrance Assessment exam next year and does not yet know what secondary school he wants to attend. What he knows is that he will continue reading and participating in extra-curricular activities.

His mother is proud of him and appreciates the church’s efforts to give young people another outlet to express themselves, as she believes society often “propels boys towards sporting activities.”