Kenneth Stamatis is assistant professor of elementary education at Harding University in Searcy, where he teaches reading skills to future educators. Previously, Stamatis taught fifth-grade reading at Beebe Intermediate School in Beebe. "It is a thrill to see children enjoying and growing with their engagement with books," said Stamatis. Striving to instill student confidence in their reading abilities, Stamatis created P.A.L., a project in which his young students corresponded with college students enrolled in classes on children's literature. He also created "Reader Exchange," a countywide program that facilitated visits between students from different schools to compare recent readings. The book talks presented by the visiting students invariably served to increase a given book's popularity. Stamatis also paired his students with parents, community members and "at-risk" high school students for one-on-one reading sessions.
1980 Harding University, B.A.
