Chelsea mom Ana Hotaling knows how to master obstacles in her business (Family Martial Arts) and on the Tae Kwon Do mat. But when it came to teaching her son, Jaeson, how to read, she needed a little help.
When Jaeson (pictured at left) entered first grade at North Creek Elementary last fall, he was ahead of the curve in many areas, but still didn’t know how to read. In just five months at the school, he not only learned how to recognize words on the page, but began reading well beyond his age and grade level.
That was when Ana discovered a book for children his age about his other favorite pastime, Tae Kwon Do. When she saw that February was “I Love to Read!” month, she knew exactly what to do to say thanks. Family Martial Arts officially donated 16 new copies of the book Tae Kwon Do! to celebrate the month.
“I’m hoping that children will enjoy these books and be inspired to improve upon their reading skills,” Ana said. “When a child is struggling to recognize words and sound out syllables, cute little animal stories sometimes just don’t motivate. With this book, the kids at North Creek can boost their reading ability, enjoy a story about children just like themselves, and learn about an activity they may not know much about.”
Jaeson was also excited about the donation.
“Other kids at my school will read this, and maybe they’ll learn to read better,” he says. “And maybe they’ll want to take Tae Kwon Do like me!”
