A.G. Gancarski
Florida’s first lady Ann Scott has a passion for the written word. And because of that, one of her modes of outreach in her official capacity is reading to schoolchildren.
Over the last five years, Mrs. Scott has visited all 67 Florida counties to that end. She has been to Jacksonville many times, including on Tuesday, when she read to elementary school kids at the River City Science Academy on Jacksonville’s Southside.
In addressing one room of children out of the two she visited, Scott noted, “I’ve always loved reading, even more during the summer.”
Scott noted she didn’t have “any books at home [while] growing up,” and a lot of times she’d read the encyclopedia, including a range from the Encyclopedia Britannica to the old Childcraft series.
Scott presented three books she could read to them, and put it up to a vote.
Alas, a problem surfaced: two books had support, and each had 10 votes.
Her solution: to read both of them to the children.
In the context of first ladies reading to rooms of children, Scott presented well, employing an engaging voice and ample facial expressions to enliven her performances of Dex: the Heart of a Hero and Gaston.
When asked after the event about her commitment to reading to schoolchildren, Scott noted her love for “sharing passion for reading,” a passion passed down from generation to generation.
Her mother was an “avid reader,” and growing up, Scott learned quickly to “take advantage of the resources the library had to offer.”
In turn, Scott modeled a love of the written word for her own children.
Scott reads adult books in her spare time; she is about to finish After You, described by the Associated Press as a “perfect modern love story.”
