Dirk Kempthorne Quotes

When I went to school, I was already reading and writing. In fact, I was offended that the other kids couldn't.

If children are reading well by the 3rd or 4th grade then everything else works.

Up until 3rd grade you are learning to read. After 3rd grade, you are reading to learn. if you aren’t … reading proficiently at the end of the 3rd grade, you are going to struggle throughout the rest of your school years.

One way to ensure that all kids will be successful in school and life is by focusing on literacy by the end of the third grade.

Children who are read to learn two things: First, that reading is worthwhile, and second, that they are worthwhile.

Research has shown time and time again that infants who receive the high-quality child care and early education programs do better in school, have more developed social skills, and display fewer behavior problems.

I started reading when I was about three, a little over three.

I'm a great believer that the most important years are the sort of early years but the preschool years and then into the first and second grades. If you get a good base in the first and second grade and you can read, you can do anything.

Well, I can't remember not being able to read. I was told I could read by myself very well at the age of three.

Somehow it's O.K. for people to chuckle about not being good at math. Yet if I said, 'I never learned to read,' they'd say I was an illiterate dolt.

Children without access to quality early education programs start kindergarten with an 18-month disadvantage, and that gap continues to widen. By the time they are in fourth grade, many cannot do math or read at grade level.

Childhood reading is so important.

Abundant research has shown that children raised by two parents in an ongoing union are more likely to develop the self-discipline and self-confidence that make for success in life …

I know what not being able to read can do to a child's confidence.

Let's put in place programs to ensure that all of our children are reading by third grade.

I want to make sure kids read by the third grade and are prepared for the fourth grade. As school gets harder and kids get older, the words get bigger... If they don't understand what they are reading, they start to fall back, and their interest in school falls off.

Early care and education helps children build the skills they need for success in kindergarten and can help close the achievement gap.

Throughout elementary and middle school, I was used to hearing other words: Smart. Studious. Well-spoken. Well-read. They became pillars of my self-confidence, enabling me to build myself up on what I contributed rather than what I looked like.

I read a lot on self-esteem issues, and a mother has more impact on the self-esteem of her daughter than peer pressure or media or television.

All children everywhere deserve the opportunity that is unlocked for them by education.

We still raise girls to look to other people for assurance they are attractive and smart, while boys are raised to determine their own value. Many girls are still made to feel it's not feminine to be good at science or math.

Children who know that they have something to offer others will learn that they can shape the world around them for the better.

In India, not enough importance is given to writing for children. And what could be more important than the enrichment of young minds with great literature?

All parents want their kids to be on a healthy track to success.

If you get behind in first grade, then you're behind every grade from then on.