Inspired by a colleague's recent quest to hunt down more advanced training manuals for her employee, I took our company on an excursion this afternoon to find some more advanced training manuals for my own employee. It hadn't really occurred to me that K.Lo might be ready for something new in the reading department. Our company is lucky to have quite a large selection of training manuals, and K.Lo has enjoyed paging through them for the better part of her career (here K.Lo is pictured at 6 mos. on the job) . In the back of my mind, I had noted a recent lag in this interest. But as Managers are often *ahem* preoccupied with the many other facets of running their companies, it had not yet clicked: K.Lo's ready to move up. Suddenly she's got the attention span for some real stories. Nothing complicated, but it seems the time has come to pass down most of those cardboard training manuals to our new hire.




Last night, we tried out Green Eggs and Ham, and it was a hit. Today, our CFO approved the purchase of the following (used! we like used) training manuals:

Harry the Dirty Dog, by Gene Zion

Arthur's Reading Race, by Marc Brown

The Tooth, by Dr. Seuss

Clifford's Spring Clean-up, by Norman Bridwell

Come on Over, Grover, by Katharine Ross



We've also pulled out a few copies of the Curious George training manual series, as well as Where the Sidewalk Ends. Previously, these manuals had been stored away due to certain violations of the Employee Code of Conduct. 



I have to say, my favorite part of K.Lo's interest in these manuals, aside from her enjoying The Manager's Recommendations from her own early training days, is the one-on-one training session time with the employee. The curling up in the crook of my arm, the quiet air of content, the captivation with words and story. I'm a big fan.



Next stop is the library, where The Manager will have to fork over some overdue fees from that time I forgot to return a training manual shortly after hiring a new employee. Frankly, I think they should give me a break, but the CFO has finally conceded to pay up. Maybe.

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5 peanuts:
  1. Ruby says:

    I remember having that exact same light bulb go off for Ella.

    It is a rather wonderful experience of that one on one time, where they are listening to your words so intently, looking at pictures with so much interest, and all the while learning the power of reading and books. FABULOUS!

  1. erin j says:

    new layout in the comment section huh... change scares me dude...
    ANYWAY!!! We make trips to library every 2.5-3 weeks toting a huge bag of books. Elijah's new favorites are the really boring (to me) books about boats, trucks, planes, etc. with real pictures and then dull explanations about each kind of vehicle... nonetheless after two readings of said books, he is reciting them back and finds them endlessly (unfortunately for me!) entertaining. I guess to each his own. I had forgotten about our Dr. Suess collection though. I think I will have to pull our some One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish today!

  1. penelope says:

    We try to be a progressive company, changing with the times. ;)

    I looked at a few of the "boy" books, just for future reference, and I know what you mean. It was like *YAWN,* and quickly put it back on the shelf. Even that Thomas the Train, not sure if it's the most exciting fare... Boys! Definitely to each his own.

  1. Kurt says:

    In my experience, boys like tossing the books back and forth, and they usually require a few unpaid breaks to get them to follow company rules.

  1. Andria says:

    Dellaina has always enjoyed the big picture books that just have tons of pictures of items in the "kitchen", "bathroom", "bedroom", "at the museum", "at the hospital", etc. and while educational, don't make for *fun* reading time (in my opinion). I've even, on more than one occasion, taken to hiding these books! Is that so wrong? Or finally moved them downstairs for her to "read" - even just to herself - on normal shifts rather than just before clocking in to the Night Shift. I have encouraged Nursery Rhymes and Dr. Suess as often as I can, because I enjoy the sing-song rhythm so much and while she rejected them in the beginning, has embraced them for quite a while now. We've moved on to a few other stories when there is Managerial supervision, but still keep the board books handy in her headboard, because of certain violations of Employee Code of Conduct as well.