DORCHESTER - Inmates at the Westmorland Institute here admitted yesterday they were a little skittish at first about the notion of tape-recording children's books for elementary school students. The idea sounded pretty far-fetched.

Spinning the adventures of Katy No-Pocket, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm and Rooster Off to See the World for young children in classrooms miles away, did not appear to them to be the normal fare of the rehabilitation process. But after a few weeks and 50 recorded books later, they were enthusiastic. They talked with pride about trying to make a contribution to society and perhaps steering children in the right direction to avoid the mistakes that landed them behind bars.

I wish I had someone to read to me as a child," notes Pierre Stewart. Maybe things would have turned out different. But I had to do everything by myself." Glen Vautour supported the contention, adding that one of the main reasons I'm doing this is that I don't want them to have to go through what I went through. I don't want them going down the same road I went down." Glenn White says he has two small children himself, and imagines they are sitting there, listening to the stories that he is reading into the recorder.

It makes me more comfortable, so that when I'm telling the stories, I can do it in a way that will hold their interest," said White. You have to make it fun when you're dealing with children."

Having inmates recording books for the younger students is the brainchild of Rosemary Pineau,a Level 2 (Grade 7-8) school teacher in the minimum security institution, and Rick McAtee who works with at-risk, elementary students in Tucson, Ariz.

Pineau said she met McAtee at a recent convention on literacy in Ottawa. She said they got to talking about the connection between at-risk children and inmates and came up with the idea for the book reading program.

She said the participants, which is now up to 10 or more, are asked to read the children's story by themselves, then read it aloud to two or three other inmates, before they start recording it. And of course, it has to be read with expression, not in a monotone, as children can lose interest quickly, she added.

She made it clear said Pineau that the final result has to be perfect and that not the slightest glitch or mistake can be left in the story.

They fought me about it at first, claiming it would be impossible for them to be absolutely perfect in reading the story," she said. I told them that they would just have to keep doing it until it was perfect. Now, they are more picky than me," she laughed, adding they are taking pride in it."

Pineau said 50 tapes have been completed since they started the program and they will be doing another 100 books before it is finished. She said she and McAtee, who is in Dorchester assisting in the program before returning to Arizona next week, are trying to schedule a meeting next Tuesday with School District 2 superintendent Jim Stevenson.

She said they will discuss making the tapes available for use by teachers in the lower grades. A packet containing four children's books and accompanying tapes would be made available to each teacher.

Inmates record books to help children learn
The books have been loaned, free of charge, to the institution for the program by Scholastic, a New York based publisher of children's books. She said McAtee, who used to work for Scholastic, was instrumental in securing the contribution.

Pineau said the program could be made available in District 2 schools as early as November. If this pilot at the Westmorland Institute is successful, she said it can be expanded into other area correctional facilities, such as Dorchester Penitentiary, Westmorland Institute in Renous, Springhill and the Truro Women's Institute. McAtee said the inmate only identifies himself by his first name and then begins reading the story. He said that is the full extent of communication or personal knowledge of any kind between him and the youngsters.

He is certain, he said, that 30 percent of the teachers would be immediately in favour of using the tapes. And most the others, once they heard the tapes, would be just as eager to take part in the program, he added. Reading is the basic of education, explained McAtee, noting that if a child does not learn to read properly at an early age, then, he or she will falter in writing, English, social studies and even trying to solve a math problem. And to learn and develop this interest, youngsters need first to be read to by an adult.

In an age where both parents are working or a parent has to take a second job to make ends meet, he said many don't often have the time to read to their children. Here, the teacher can fill this important need and these tapes would be an excellent way for them to do it, he said.

As for the inmates, McAtee said it will greatly improve their own reading abilities. The books may be aimed at the children, but he noted 70 percent of an adult's vocabulary would still be included in them.

He said it gives them a sense of accomplishment in providing a service for society, especially the children, and this has to help them they are eventually released from prison. He noted he will be introducing the same program in Tucson in January 2001.

[This article by Charles Perry, Times & Transcript Staff, was taken with permission, from The Times & Transcript, Moncton NB, Saturday, September 2, 2000.]