Literacy

What is literacy?  Literacy is the ability to read and write.  Who is responsible for promoting, strengthening, and teaching literacy?  The answer is we all are responsible.  Literacy affects our communities in so many ways.  The foundation for literacy starts at home.  Parents read stories to their children before they can even read.  That sets the tone and behavior for a tolerance of literacy.  Parents also are responsible for teaching literacy skills before their children start school.  Children learn from their parents what is expected of them.  They learn at an early age to respect the process of becoming literate.  Parents should not have the mindset that teachers are solely responsible for making sure their kids can read and write.  It is important for parents to reiterate what is being taught in the classroom.  I volunteered at one of the elementary schools in my hometown.  So many times I came across kids whose parents never enforced completing homework, or bothered to ask what their kids were learning in school.  I have also met kids who were passed along to the next grade level, when in fact they should have repeated the same grade level due to failing core benchmarks.  That makes it so much harder on the next teacher.  That teacher would have to go back and try to teach skills such as phonemic awareness, vowels and etc.  Together parents and teachers make the perfect team for advocating literacy.  Illiteracy in the community means that people are less qualified to fill job positions.  They cannot complete job applications or pass skills tests.  The ripple effect goes on and on. We can all find some way to be an advocate for literacy.  Let’s make a positive difference in the lives of our children and community.

Alona