This week at schools across the county teachers are expressing the importance of reading to their students as the Read Across America event gets into full swing. On Thursday, high school students, community leaders and even a published author will visit students at W.O. Parmer to teach them about the importance of reading. But, getting children of the elementary age to read on their own is not an easy job and educators need all the help they can get.

The week has come about as a tribute to the one person who has probably had the most success in getting children to read: Dr. Suess. He would have celebrated his 96th birthday on Thursday and students across the country will celebrate by making hats (those of the Cat In the Hat fashion), eating green eggs and ham for breakfast and, most importantly by reading his books.

But, the week of fun will soon end and it will once again become a challenge to get kids to open a book on their own. Parents should use the excitement of these events as a foundation to encourage their children to read. By having the people they admire and trust the most, their parents, reading to them it would set a great example and could be the beginning of a wonderful new habit that would spark their imagination and teach them more about the world they live in.

The schools could bring in the biggest names in show business or even a big league ball player. But, that would just be for five minutes or an hour at best. Only parents can make an everlasting contribution to their children's education by teaching them about the importance of reading and the best way to teach them is to show them.