Students in the Children’s Literature class at Southern Adventist University gave the gift of reading to elementary students at a local elementary school. Taught by Michelle Adams, assistant professor in Southern’s School of Education, Psychology, and Counseling, the university class has visited a first grade class at Wolftever Elementary School in Ooltewah, Tennessee, four times this school year to read stories out loud to the children.

At a visit in early December, each university student brought a wrapped book to give as a gift to the first graders, selecting the books based on each student’s individual preferences. Donors and Southern students made it possible to purchase the books.

"I wish you could have seen the smiles on the faces of those precious first graders when they opened their presents. My students put a lot of thought into the book they chose for their first graders based on each student's interests,” Adams shares. “I overheard one little boy ask his Southern student to stay with him the whole day. It was a rewarding experience for everyone!"

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