One mother-daughter duo is proof that the power of learning goes beyond the classroom.
JoAnn Hooker, 59, and her daughter, Sara Hooker-Weaver, 34, are teachers at South Polk Elementary School in Old Fort, Tennessee, who have provided free books to hundreds of their students over the past four years.
They have donated 16,000 books total to students.
“We want to nurture that love of reading,” Hooker told “Good Morning America.”
Hooker-Weaver said that she and her mother discovered a need to spread their love for literacy in their school when she noticed one of her students sneaking books home from the classroom.
“One day I asked him why he felt he had to sneak them and he answered that he didn’t have any books in his home,” she shared. “I just couldn’t imagine a home without books. That’s when we decided we had to do something to help get books in the home.”
They told “Good Morning America” that the school’s annual Free Book Giveaway Day is their favorite day of the year.
“I think all of the students are excited and grateful,” Hooker-Weaver said. “They leave the room with smiles on their faces. That is the most important part for us.”
Hooker shared that she hopes the book giveaway will help make reading more of a fun activity than a school assignment for students.
“The ultimate goal of any teacher is to prepare your students for the future," Hooker said. "By fostering that love of books, I hope we are setting them up for good things in life.”
