Benson@Bedtime back and thriving

Warm milk and cookies not always doing the trick, some Itasca students are turning to their own classmates to read them a bedtime story.

Technical difficulties brought the Benson@Bedtime program to a screeching halt early last year.

But the program, in which students read their favorite stories onto a recorded hot line for all their peers and family to hear, has been more popular than ever since being reinstated this year.

A few times a week Amy Reuter, a Benson Primary School teacher and librarian, will pick a student from the more than 100 volunteers on the reader list and let them record a five-minute story of their choice. Benson students are in kindergarten through second grade.

Twice a week, the recordings are updated and the current reader is given "business cards" to give to friends and family to remind them to call the Benson@Bedtime hot line and hear him or her read.

First-grader Mia DiDonna recently recorded her favorite story, "Puppy Dog," nailing it on only her second take. She was anxious to record her story so her mom and sister could call and listen.

"That was fun and easy," she said hugging Reuter after the successful recording. "I wasn't nervous at all."

Reuter started the program four years ago in an attempt to get students excited about reading, and gain recognition for it. Never has the program been so popular, she said.

"These kids just get a beaming glow about them for reading and being heard," Reuter said.

"Their parents and grandparents are calling from work and that makes them feel really special."

First-grader A.J. Casey recorded her story several weeks ago, but is still excited telling friends about her "celebrity status" for the week. Thankfully, she's kept her ego in check.

"My friends and family called a lot but I called to hear myself the most," she said. "I like hearing myself read so I called every day."

Benson Principal Dawn Turner is pleased to see the program enjoying a successful resurgence.

"It offers our primary students an opportunity to read orally, in a very fun way," she said.

"Secondly, it boosts confidence for those students who read, as they are able to share their reading with others."

To hear a Benson@Bedtime story call (630) 773-1232 and press 6 between 4:30 p.m. and 8 a.m. Monday through Friday, and all day and night on Saturday and Sunday.