Adults' Quotes
School Administrators and Teachers
"As a principal, I need to be able to spot someone who inherently just has talent. Immediately I bought into your talent, and immediately a relationship of trust ensued, and I thought, 'I want this person because she's going to be a winner.' So when you came to me with your idea, I didn't have to know all of the details, I wanted to be a part of it, because it was exciting, it was going to be innovative, and anything of that ilk I want for Disney." – Dr. Kathleen Hagstrom, Principal, Walt Disney Magnet School
"It was exactly what I was looking for. The school was abuzz with excitement. It was, ‘Oh, Mara's here. Did you see whom she brought? Did you see the kids? They're so excited!’ and it was obvious when you were here with your program, and it was first rate. It was quality." – Dr. Kathleen Hagstrom, Principal, Walt Disney Magnet School - Watch video
"There are so many ways to take a book and make it the focus of learning. We focus on the literature to teach children reading strategies to improve comprehension and critical thinking skills. We teach children to question what they read, and that reading should inspire thoughts and ideas that can be discussed, explored, and interpreted in various ways. Learning, especially for young children, needs to be equally fun and educational, and there is educational value in art-making activities. With Ferdinand we also promote reading for enjoyment -- to laugh, feel or experience something new through music, dance, theater, and role-playing. These activities allow the children to identify with characters in the book and make comparisons that further their own understanding of their place in society." - Evie Pena-Shives, Kindergarten teacher, Walt Disney Magnet School, Cool Classics! teacher and Board member
"It's wonderful that each child has their own book and they're getting exposure to a really interesting children's story that they all seem to like a lot. [It’s] an arts integrated way of learning literature. So they're making props. They're moving. They're acting. They're dancing. They get to see real life artists [and learn] what they do and how they think about their work. I think the kids like it quite a bit and [are] very excited." – Natalie Butler, Music teacher, Walt Disney Magnet School
"Criseyde suddenly was coming up and hugging me, because I think she felt a connection to the school in a different way than she ever had. That one incident made me think that's neat. She feels differently about school. She feels differently about everything. I do think that parents are looking for this for their children, and I think the level of parent involvement that you had [was] really outstanding. It’s also a way to bring in parents, and it’s also a way to make parents feel the way that Criseyde felt – part of the school – because it gives them an opportunity to become involved in a different way." – Leonie Deutsch, Early Childhood Center Director, Walt Disney Magnet School - Watch video
Parents
"My first impression was that we were going to be reading from classic literature. I didn't realize that the kids were going to be active in the creation of the play. I didn’t realize that there was going to be so much arts surrounding it. I thought it was going to be one of the run-of-the-mill after-school programs in which there's a lot of good intentions but it doesn't really manifest and boy, did it." – Henry Anderson - Watch video
"Sadie really wants to come here. In the mornings, when she's grouchy and doesn't feel like getting out of bed, I say 'Cool Classics! is today.' That changes her mind." – Henry Anderson - Watch video
"It just brought up a lot of memories of a seventh-grade teacher I had. I was kind of a ‘handful’ student. Getting back and giving back, I think, has been very important to me as an individual. Cool Classics! made me remember Herb Staggy, and how he taught me to control myself. It was because of this program that I recontacted him. He was a force that made me want to do better." – Henry Anderson
"Cool Classics! has opened up my daughter's imagination and made her eager to explore the world through reading! Mara Tapp brings classic novels to life in the eyes of the children, and makes them really understand what, where and why a book says what it does." – Suzy Harrington
"Cool Classics! has shown that any book, old or new, can be fun to read and show you parts of the world you may never get to see." – Suzy Harrington
"Cool Classics! helped my son to not just read words, but rather to analyze the content of the book. With Cool Classics! he has learned to become part of the story and enjoy the experience of reading." – Veronica Norber
"Cool Classics! is the paradigm for what after-school enrichment can look like; it's an ambitious and true synthesis of the creative arts with the world of great children's literature and its extant ideas." – Tony Getsug
"My daughter has benefited greatly from her time with Mara Tapp in Cool Classics! When Annie reads, she sees that it is more than just words on a page - it's a whole universe of imagination waiting for her!" – Jane Cornett
"Participating in the program had a profound effect on our daughter, Vera. When I asked her what she thought about the program she said, 'It was so great I can't even tell you.'" - Janice Cody
Cool Classics! Administrators
"Because Cool Classics! is fun, the kids, and the participants, really enjoyed being part of it. What happened is the kids were exposed to various art forms, which, I think, in of itself, is very valuable, but because there was a focus through the various art activities, the kids really understood various components of literary analysis. While the Illinois State Standards were not posted and talked about, they were addressed in a very natural way. The kids learned things like new vocabulary words, and they learned various aspects of analyzing a story, but they never were asked to memorize anything, and it just was a very seamless kind of [learning] for them." – Julie MacCarthy, Associate Director, Art Resources in Teaching
"There was such a wonderful mix of activities and different art forms. The program really helped the kids understand the book they were reading, and it also exposed them to creative movement, and to art−making, and to music, and probably to a lot of music they wouldn't have heard before. We know we've been facing cuts for some decades now. People are thinking that they want to re-institute some of this stuff." – Julie MacCarthy, Associate Director, Art Resources in Teaching - Watch video
"People are so concerned about raising test scores, and looking for the most economical and expedient way to do it, that a lot of the richness of reading gets lost, and I think a lot of schools have begun to rely on drill−and−kill techniques. With Cool Classics!, the kids developed a love for the story first. That was the way they got hooked, and then, through all the different activities, they understood the themes in the text, and they really understood the process of literary analysis. It’s a really unique approach, and especially for primary-school children, because so often people think that young children can only accept little sound bites of information. They can't look holistically at a book, and they can't focus some higher-order thinking skills." – Julie MacCarthy, Associate Director, Art Resources in Teaching
"The idea now is just get the kids to perform on tests without a lot of support, and a lot of thought as to how to get the kids to understand things. With Cool Classics!, the idea is getting kids to really understand what they're doing, and to realize that test results will follow. The kids learned a lot of vocabulary words that probably most kids their age don't know, and they really understood quite a bit, but there was never any pressure. The kids really enjoyed it, and I think the kids left the program eager to read other stories, and to think a little bit more thoughtfully about the stories they're reading. Typically when you're asking kids to perform on a test, you're asking them to do a very narrow thing that doesn't have any carryover to the future, but I think with Cool Classics!, the kids develop an interest and so some skills to carry forward." – Julie MacCarthy, Associate Director, Art Resources in Teaching
"A huge component of Cool Classics! is that Mara Tapp is very sensitive to children, and she brings a lot to the program. She's got a very warm, but in-command personality, so I think the kids always knew that she was the person in charge, but they also felt really comfortable with her, and she drew a lot out of the kids. When you do a program with many little bodies, it’s easy for the instructor to think of the group as a collective, and not to focus on what individual children need. One of the strengths that Mara brings to a program like this is she really got to know each child, and she really could tell each day how each child was doing, and if there was something that might be going on with the child, or something that she needed to help them work through. She also drew a lot out of all the other people who were involved with the program. Parents whose skills might otherwise be overlooked were put in a place where they could use their talents to add to the program, and the teaching assistants were also very comfortable. The group as a whole bonded." – Julie MacCarthy, Associate Director, Art Resources in Teaching
"I wanted as diverse a group of children as possible, particularly for the pilot, because I wanted to see how children at all ability levels, and from all different backgrounds, would benefit from this program. I am now convinced that every child can benefit from Cool Classics!. I've seen the children who are gifted, and I use that word with great trepidation, because I think most children are gifted on some level, benefited from this, but I also see how the children who had trouble staying with the group benefited. Some of those children are reading the book or have now memorized the book, and insist on it being read in their classrooms. For me, these are real success stories." – Mara Tapp, Cool Classics! Creator and Director