To develop good reading habit and celebrate “April 23rd: World Book Day”, the Education Bureau of Taichung City Government held a series of “2012 Taichung Reading Expo” activities to present the reading promotion organized by the government. Mayor Chi-Chiang Hu especially participated in “Story-telling” activity to educate both parents and teachers that academic performance does not represent all of a child’s ability.

The expo commenced on April 22nd in Dadun Cultural Center, attracting hundreds of parents and children; in addition, many governmental officers also participated in this great event, including Mayor Hu, head of Education Bureau Ching-Biao Yen, senators Chia-Hong Hong, Shi-Chu Liu and Shuan-Bing Hsu.

To promote the concept of “academic performance is not everything”, a stage play was performed by Taichung Xinyi Elementary School which lively presented the miserable scenario of modern elementary school students being overwhelmed by all kinds of after school tutoring and talent class. And then, the book “The Report Card” written by American educator Andrew Clements was introduced to say NO to the traditional concept of “academic performance first” and promote a healthier learning environment for children.

Mayor Hu further elaborated the concept by a few examples, such as international fashion designer Johan Ku and De-Shen Wei, the director of “Seediq Bale”; though those successful people did not have great performance in the academic field, they have found their own talents in other fields with great achievement.

Mayor Hu emphasized that “safety, happiness and health” are the most important factors that matter to children; among them, health can be discussed in two levels- mental health and physical health, and reading is crucial to promote mental health. Good reading ability can be a life-long benefit. He also illustrated the difference between reading and studying and indicated that reading is the first step for children to like studying, which should be developed by letting children read the material they like.

Taichung Education Bureau aimed to hold this meaningful expo on “World Book Day” to present a series of creative and interactive reading activities, including excellent performances and games, as well as promoting result of schools that were awarded for “Reading Brick Award”, awarding volunteers who dedicated to promote reading and story-telling. Through the event, it is hoped that all parents and children can appreciate the beauty of reading and broaden their vision.