Slatton knows need to read

By Will Stewart / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

SLATTON

Despite a lifelong desire to teach, upon entering college Kreta Slatton opted to pursue a business degree. After one semester, however, the now Centertown Elementary School librarian realized her true dream and changed her major to elementary education.

After graduating from MTSU in 1979, she accepted a position teaching third grade at the newly opened Boyd Christian School. She had been in this position for eight years when the school’s librarian left. A lover of reading and of books, she expressed interest in the job. After completing her librarian certification, she became Boyd’s part-time librarian, in the library half a day and teaching in the classroom half a day.

A year later, the county’s outlying schools began going through the accreditation process offered by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). One requirement for accreditation is that the schools applying must have a full-time librarian. Prior to this time, librarians were shared among the outlying schools, each one having a librarian only once or twice a week.

With several full-time positions made available, Slatton applied and was hired for the Centertown position 14 years ago.

“It’s a great job, I’m very happy here” she said. “I get to see all of the (school’s) children two times a week. Being a rural school I know all of them as most of them are here nine years, I get to see them grow and mature.”

In addition to helping Centertown students find books and complimenting their classroom instruction by teaching library and research skills, her job also includes the often difficult job of instilling a lifelong love of reading in the students.

“It’s hard because I have a lot of competition, especially with technology like computers, Nintendos, Playstations and DVD players,” she said. “Many kids these days would rather be entertained than read.”

But her cause isn’t hopeless, she added. Helping her achieve her goal is the Accelerated Reader Program. Through this program, students in all grades read books of varying difficulty and take comprehension tests in order to accumulate points throughout the school year. This competition, complete with incentive prizes and rewards, has gone a long way to getting many students reading who would not otherwise do so.

When not at school she enjoys spending time with her family, which includes husband Mike, daughter Sallie and son Isaac. Not surprisingly, she said she also enjoys reading.