Jeddah: Reading Club for Kids

Have you ever had a little argument with your kid over the pronunciation of a word? Imagine telling your kid that "fantasy" is pronounced /fæn.tə.si/ and he/she says, "Noooooooo, my teacher says it is /fa:nta.zi/." And so goes on the argument until you give up because kids hardly get tired. Maybe this is just my opinion, but I noticed that kids believe so much that their teachers know better.


What happens when your child attends an international school that has teachers from every corner of the globe? You got Americans, Canadians, Britons, Indians, Filipinos, Egyptians, Nigerians, Ghanians, Cameroonians, etc. It is not surprising when some non-native English speaking parents worry when their kid(s) speak(s) English like another non-native whose country of origin is different from theirs. Not that being a non-native English speaker is bad (I'm one, by the way), but the general tendency is for parents to want their kids to express themselves like native English speakers. In Jeddah, for example, I have seen little clubs spring up with the main objective of teaching kids to speak like native English speakers (particularly with an American accent). The latest one is the American International Reading Club for Kids that accepts boys and girls aged 8-11 years for a monthly fee of 150 SAR, books not included.


The reading club administrator, Taqwah Summers, opened this club (which will effectively begin its activities on February 2, 2012) after the multiple requests of some parents. The club is located in Rawdah District 6 and opening times for girls are Thursdays from 10.00 am -11:30 am, and for boys Thursdays from 2.00 pm-3.30 pm. For more information, parents can contact the club administrator on 0501027905 or via e-mail: Taqwahsummers@gmail.com