EDITORIAL -- FEATURE SPOT, Editorials, Opinion
 By  Staff Reports Published 
1:34 pm Thursday, March 4, 2021

Read Across America emphasizes importance of of literacy for all

If you’re on social media this week, you’ll likely come across photos of students in crazy hats, teachers promoting read-aloud times and a greater-than-usual occurrence of Dr. Seuss quotes and images.

Our local schools are observing the National Education Association’s Read Across America Week, and we want to salute their efforts to encourage literacy and a love for reading in Franklin County.

Nationally observed the first week of March, Read Across America Week is in full swing. Students not just in Franklin County but across the country are enjoying a renewed emphasis on the importance of reading in our everyday lives.

Think about it. Does a day pass when you aren’t reading?

Oh, we know you might not be picking up the latest bestseller every day or regularly leafing through a non-fiction favorite, but being able to read is a crucial cornerstone of a productive, fulfilling life. It’s a skill you use constantly – and so reflexively you usually don’t even think about it.

Grocery store labels, newspaper articles, street signs, warning notices, fliers, billboards, magazines, invitations, newsletters, text messages, tweets – they are all just waiting to be read.

We hope you will take this week, if not every week, to encourage a love of reading in your children – and in yourself.

Though it’s fun to dress up as a Dr. Seuss character and celebrate his birthday by rereading “The Cat in the Hat,” let this week be a reminder to us to put a focus on reading year round.

Also on Franklin County Times
2 Bear Creek areas under fish advisories
A: Main, News, Russellville, ...
Bernie Delanski For the FCT 
June 24, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The 2026 Alabama Fish Consumption Advisories recommends not consuming largemouth bass taken from two areas of Franklin County due to me...
$2.85M contract OK’d for new library
A: Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
June 24, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Construction of a new public library moved a step closer to reality last week as the city council approved a $2.85 million construction...
D-1 Commissioner Baker ready to make an impact
A: Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Brady Petree 
June 24, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — When Curtis Baker is sworn in as Franklin County District 1 commissioner in November, he plans to hit the ground running on day one. Af...
Advocacy center gets $3.5K from county
Franklin County, News, Russellville
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
June 24, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Franklin County commissioners recently increased its annual support for the Cramer Children’s Advocacy from $500 to $3,500. Speaking du...
Alabama should honor decision of Lee’s jury
Columnists, Opinion
June 24, 2026
Jeffery Lee has been on Alabama’s death row for over two decades. He was convicted of a terrible crime — the murder of two people at a pawn shop outsi...
Preparations begin for 250th celebration
Columnists, Franklin County, News, ...
HERE AND NOW
June 24, 2026
As our country prepares for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, communities across the nation are planning activi...
History lessons come to life for couple
Franklin County, News
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
June 24, 2026
For years, first grade teacher Emily Tucker Hodges read novels set in ancient Greece and Rome and imagined what those places might have looked like. T...
Rescue dog finds a second purpose
News
By Ella Seaton For the FCT 
June 24, 2026
TUSCUMBIA — Once living on the streets in Muscle Shoals, a pup rescued in Colbert County has found a new life in New England as a comfort canine for t...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *