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Home › Mom of the Month

Lisa Mertz

By Melinda Copp

Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a mother who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a woman and a mother. Above all, the Mom of the Month is dedicated to her children. Rich or poor, famous or not, she shines as an example of what mothering is all about.

A love of books starts before kids can read, and a passion for reading is a lifelong adventure in education and ideas. Lisa Mertz not only works to instill the love of books and reading in her own kids, but also in her students and community.

According to Mertz, who teaches second grade at Chief Shikellamy Elementary School in Sunbury, Pa., teaching kids how to read is not the same as teaching them to love to read. And one of her favorite sayings is, "Those who don't read have no advantage over those who can't."

For the past 15 years, Mertz has been a volunteer in the Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) program and has worked to get kids excited about books. And this year, she was recognized as one of the three honorees for the Reading Is Fundamental 10th Annual Anne Richardson RIF Volunteer of the Year Award.

The award program celebrates the dedication and service of Reading Is Fundamental's truly outstanding volunteers, while also recognizing their contributions to RIF, its mission and their communities. Mertz and the other award winners will be honored at RIF's Annual Gala in Washington, D.C., in September.

"Fellow teacher Bill Unger nominated me for the award," Mertz says. "Bill is the one that suggested I start a RIF program at our school 14 years ago."

Motivating Children to Read

Founded in 1966, Reading Is Fundamental motivates children to read by working with them, their parents and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF's highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers across the United States, RIF provides 4.5 million children with 15 million new, free books and literacy resources each year.

"Reading has always been the passionate part of teaching for me," Mertz says. "I can't change a child's circumstances, but I can teach him to read and to love to read. Then he can make his world anything he wants it to be."

Being a Mom

Aside from teaching and getting kids excited about reading, Mertz is a busy mom. She says not having enough time is the most challenging part of being a mom. "I need more time, a lot more," Mertz says. Her 12-year-old daughter, Daniella, is involved in numerous activities, including piano, dance, ice skating, Sunday school, basketball, field hockey, golf, drama, singing and swimming.

"She hasn't zoned in on one activity yet, but if she ever does, she sure will have a lot to choose from," Mertz says.

Mertz's stepdaughter, Janessa, recently got married and has a son, Reilly, who will turn 2 in August. Janessa is interested in becoming a photographer, Mertz says. Their family also includes an ornery dog named Marley, after John Grogan's recent bestselling book.

Mertz and her daughters enjoy traveling, shopping, going to the movies (and eating big buckets of buttered popcorn) and going out to eat together. Their favorite dinner spot is Red Lobster. Their favorite family memories are the times when they get to goof off – having Silly String fights in the dining room and piling into Mertz's bed on Saturday mornings. When Mertz does have time to spare, she likes to play billiards in leagues, and her team has won two trips to play in Las Vegas. She also loves to read (of course), and steal an occasional nap.

Try Lisa Mertz's recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Dish here!

"I read in the summer when I actually have time to finish a book," Mertz says. "A nap is a special gift, and someday I would like to spend more time gardening."

Mertz and her family value education and reading, hard work and being together. Mertz's parents live across the street from her, and she has other family close by.

"Mine is a farming family," Mertz says. "My father was in the greenhouse business and was a Master Farmer of Pennsylvania in 1984. I still love to play in the dirt."

Mertz and her family have deep roots in their community, which is uncommon in today's fast-paced culture. Mertz has taught in her school district for almost 22 years, and she and her family live in the house her grandfather built when he returned from World War I.

"It's my father's childhood home, and my daughter is now the fourth generation to grow up under its roof," says Mertz, who also gets her community involved in her RIF distribution events. One of her recent events involved four local race car drivers bringing their competition cars to the school's book distribution.

Mertz says the best way for parents to get their kids excited about reading is to simply make books a part of life. Read to your kids, keep books in the house, take special trips to the library and enjoy reading yourself.

"Modeling is very important," Mertz says. "When your kids see reading is important to you, it will be important to them too."



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