Tennessee's first lady Crissy Haslam speaks at the FiftyForward Martin Center Tuesday.

Haslam shares initiatives, family news with seniors
By SUSAN LEATHERS
Brentwood Home Page
The FiftyForward Martin Center’s monthly potlucks are getting a reputation. Not only will you find some of the city’s best food, the programs are getting buzz too.

Last month’s program on Islam resulted in a lively discussion. Nashville Symphony Maestro Giancarlo Guerrero and Belmont University basketball coach Rick Byrd have been recent speakers.

Related story Jo Dee Messina, symphony ensemble will perform at Music & Memories

On Tuesday, Tennessee’s new first lady Crissy Haslam outlined her education and literacy initiatives for a larger than normal crowd. It’s been quite a year for Haslam and her husband, Governor Bill Haslam. Not only have they moved into the state’s executive residence in Oak Hill (and opened it up for tours), she shared that in coming months they are to become first-time grandparents, will gain a new son-in-law and help move their youngest daughter to Charleston where she will start her first teaching job.

In between all of that, on Jan. 18 – right after the inauguration – she met with her new staff in the first lady’s office in the Tennessee Tower office building to identify what her primary platform would be. Children and families in Tennessee immediately came to the forefront, she said. She told the Martin Center audience she had three questions she wanted answered:

Why are so many students dropping out of school?

Why do so few go to college

And why do so many who do go to college need remedial classes when they get there?

She started getting answers. She learned, for instance, that only 42 percent of the state’s third graders read at grade level.

“If you’re not reading on grade level in the third grade, you’re already behind,” she stated.

She was surprised to learn that many kindergartens were not prepared to start school and definitely not ready to learn how to read.  

“So much happens in that brain in those early years,” Haslam shared, explaining why they looked so carefully at how learning begins in the years from birth to age 5, as well as 5 to third grade.

Haslam acknowledged the Martin Center’s participating in the FLIP (Friends Learning in Pairs) tutoring program that pairs a senior volunteer with a young student for one-on-one reading help. “I think that is terrific,” Haslam said. “One-on-one interaction and contact with a child is so important.”

The first lady outlined a list of programs she hopes to partner with to increase literacy among young children, but acknowledged many of the programs take funds, which are scarce these days.

She applauded the state’s efforts in providing books to young children through the Imagination Library program, but said books for older children are just as important.

“Education is one of the direct pathways out of poverty,” she stated. It also is best way keep the economy going, she added.

During a brief question and answer period, Haslam was asked “who works harder, you or the governor” which brought a round of laughter.

“We’re both working hard,” she answered.

When asked a question about illegal immigrants role in the statistics concerning literacy and the state of education, she honestly answered she didn’t know enough about the topic to respond.

On other topics, she said she is happy that Tennesseans are now able to see the executive residence (public tours are now given on Tuesdays and Thursdays). “I’m going to continue to raise money to continue the master plan at the mansion,” she said. While the first major renovation and updating of the home in years was begun under former first lady Andrea Conte, there is still work to be done, Haslam said.