Updated: July 16, 2012
When I was a kid, I’d usually envy most of my classmates who had cable TV and gaming consoles at home.
At recess, I’d listen with much interest to their stories of the cartoon shows they watch, and the video games they play during weekends.
Asking my parents to subscribe to cable TV, or buy a Nintendo have always been met with stern rejection.
So after hearing, “Just grab something to read” from my parents more than a hundred times, I finally gave up the cause and just decided to listen.
Fortunately, finding something to read was not at all hard because we had shelves full of Reader’s Digests at home.
My late aunt’s collection, which my mother kept, went as far back as the 1950’s; while my father’s subscription made sure it’s filled with new issues every month.
And during that early stage of my life, was how it all began… how I discovered and started the habit of reading.
“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.” – Victor Hugo
Early this year, educational entrepreneurs Jerry Vicente Catabijan and May Jovero-Catabijan, launched a corporate social responsibility project for their company, Saint Mary’s Publishing Corporation.
They launched www.bebetter.com.ph – a website that provides free articles on self-improvement for teachers and educators.
A veteran in the field of children’s textbooks, SMPC now ventures to the online platform, to help the very people who shape the young minds of the country, our teachers, to be better through reading.
I’ve browsed around the website and really like how they showcase a wide variety of articles, from practical matters like “How to Discourage Cramming” in students, to providing interesting facts such as “Notable Pinoy Scientists”.
And honestly, I think they have something good going on here. I can say that the website is not just for teachers and educators – but actually for anyone with the interest on education and learning. So I’m truly excited to see where they’ll take this project in the future.
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go. – Dr. Seuss
Indeed, reading is an inexpensive but effective way to learn about new things and improve yourself.
In fact, I owe most of the things I know about business and investments from consuming books, finance websites and magazines.
And that’s what you are doing right now – so thank you for making Ready To Be Rich a part of your reading habit.
Note: This is an advertorial.
Reading has been a part of my life since I was a child. Like you, we did not enjoy the simple luxuries in life such as cable TV; hence, we spent our free time reading different books and encyclopedias. No regrets at all because I learned a lot and I am trying to pass the habit of reading to my children.
There’s so much inspiration out there for us to read. I like little sayings like “readers are leaders” and “the pen is mightier than the sword”
we had the same childhood, lol. And i don’t regret it. I would love to have my 2.5 month old son experience the same thing.
I did not develop a habit for reading books until I was 15. Reading books used to be boring for me, but my older sister somehow influenced me into reading novels. I developed the habit of reading and thought of reading about fruitful stuff like business and technology and that’s how it’s been since then.
reading is just half of the equation. printed matters are a powerful medium because the reader is the ultimate interpreter and judge. he alone determines which to absorb and which to reject. and the other half is in living our choice.
in the end, we simply cannot share what we do not have. corporate social responsibility is a noble thing. but it can also be the height of hypocrisy.
and the spouses catabijan? they know what i mean.