They say every dog has its day. Rudy the Reading Dog is getting another one.

A crew from CBS weekend news recently came to Otisfield Community School to film Rudy, an affable Irish setter and symbol of the school’s successful literacy program. Students read to Rudy, whose furry brown bartender’s ear builds confidence in uncertain youthful readers.

Two years ago, on March 17, 2004, Rudy was honored on the floor of the Statehouse by Rep. Theodore Heidrich of Oxford, who represented Otisfield at the time. “Rudy sits on a little red blanket, kindergarten, first-grade and second-grade children, come in and sit beside Rudy and read to him,” Heidrich said.”They have increased their learning abilities. It has just been unbelievable.”

“Students who are learning to read can be nervous, self-conscious, and worried about making mistakes,” says Linda Park, the Otisfield school principal and Rudy’s owner, in her principal’s message to parents. “When reading to Rudy, struggling readers relax, aren’t self-conscious, and learn to enjoy the experience of reading.”

In an nationwide education system often criticized for its bureaucracy, it’s a pleasure to see a program that embraces the enjoyment of learning and shows results. Building confidence in children – regardless of subject matter – is equally as important as showing proficiency in standardized assessments.

Students, once exposed to Rudy, are entranced by the process of learning, and scamper tableside to start the latest Rudy project. They write him letters and draw his picture. Observers to Rudy’s classrooms are stunned by the phenomena, which is telling. Has student enthusiasm waned so much that a little classroom excitement seems out of place? We hope not, but it makes us wonder.

Park should be proud of the program she founded on a whim four years ago. When she first brought Rudy into the school, Park told the Sun Journal: “My goal is just for the kids to enjoy reading to a dog.” Now Rudy has become poised to make his national debut and send his message far from Otisfield.

And we’ve come to expect creative ideas from Park. After all, Otisfield Community School is the same place that’s using conga drums to motivate students, and Park herself sprung for $2,000 for a school greenhouse to amplify science and mathematics instruction.

Kudos to Rudy and Park for showing creativity in the classroom can bring results, and reminding us that in this educational maelstrom of assessments and standardization, sometimes all a child needs to thrive is a little confidence.