You've probably seen the bumpersticker that says "IF YOU CAN READ THIS, THANK A TEACHER," or a variation on that. True enough. But also thank your parent(s) or step-parents or guardians; other relatives such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters; your peers; your culture; your heritage; your physical and mental capacities; your neighbors and friends; your place of worship; local and school libraries and librarians; literacy volunteers; local businesses; government agencies and people with them; nonprofits; teaching assistants; reading specialists; mentors; civic leaders; educational researchers and leaders; legislators; and on and on. Did I forget anyone? Perhaps. Not intended. The point is: it takes (and took) legions of people, close and far away, to make you a reader. As you were READING this, you might have taken for granted that you can read. You might also have taken for granted the silent and complex and sophisticated array of people, forces, and factors that culminated in your ability to read this word, the next word, and all that came before and will follow. And to do so with ease and enjoyment, as if it were second nature!
We have a literacy crisis.
We need to wake up.
It takes a whole community.
Today.
Tomorrow is too late.
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2 comments:
Great point Paul - we're experiencing a crisis when 9 out of 100 third graders in the SCSD are reading at grade level. it's a crisis for all of us, for our future; we all need to help to change that cycle.
Yup. It takes a village; actually, a city, a county, and beyond.
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