It may seem obvious to many people why literacy is so important in our technologically advanced society. However, many parents may not fully realize the emotional pain and life-long damage illiteracy can cause their children. Literacy, the ability to read well, is the foundation of children's education.
If children can't read well, every subject they try to learn will frustrate them. If they can't read math, history, or science textbooks, if they stumble over the words, they will soon give up reading out of frustration. Asking children who are poor readers to study these subjects is like asking them to climb a rope with one arm.
Kids learn to read in their most formative years, which is why reading can profoundly affect their self-esteem. When children learn to read, they also start learning how to think abstractly, because words convey ideas and relationships between ideas. How well they read therefore affects children's feelings about their ability to learn. This in turn affects how kids feel about themselves generally whether a child thinks he or she is stupid or bright. Children who struggle with reading often blame themselves and feel ashamed of themselves.
As Donald L. Nathanson, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Jefferson Medical College noted: "First reading itself, and then the whole education process, becomes so imbued with, stuffed with, amplified, magnified by shame that children can develop an aversion to everything that is education."
Often, poor readers will struggle just to graduate from high school. They can lose general confidence in themselves, and therefore the confidence to try for college or pursue a career. Their job opportunities can dry up. Their poor reading skills and low self-confidence can strangle their ability to earn money. They can struggle financially their whole lives. If they marry and have children, they can struggle even more.
Life for illiterate adults can easily degenerate into misery, poverty, failure, and hopelessness. According to a 1992 study by the National Institute for Literacy, "43 % of Americans with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty and 70 % have no job or a part-time job. Only 5% of Americans with strong literacy skills live in poverty."
As Dr. Grover Whitehurst, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, said, "Reading is absolutely fundamental. It's almost trite to say that. But in our society, the inability to be fluent consigns children to failure in school and consigns adults to the lowest strata of job and life opportunities."
By the 1850s, before we had compulsory, government-controlled public schools, child and adult literacy rates averaged over 90 percent, making illiteracy rates less than 10 percent. By 1850, literacy rates in Massachusetts and other New England States, for both men and women, was close to 97 percent. This was before Massachusetts created the first compulsory public-school system in America in 1852. What is literacy like in our public schools today?
In 1995, a student teacher for a fifth-grade class in Minneapolis wrote the following letter to the local newspaper: ". . . I was told [that] children are not to be expected to spell the following words correctly: back, big, call, came, can, day, did, dog, down, get, good, if, in, is, it, have, he, home, like, little, man, morning, mother, my, night, off, out, over, people, play, ran, said, saw, she, some, soon, their, them, there, time, two, too, up, us, very, water, we, went, where, when, will, would, etc. Is this nuts?"
In 2002, the New York State Education Department's annual report on the latest reading and math scores for public school students found:
? 90 percent of middle schools failed to meet New York State minimum standards for math and English exam scores.
? 65 percent of elementary schools flunked the minimum standards.
? 84 percent of high schools failed to meet the minimum state standards.
? More than half of New York City's black and hispanic elementary school students failed the state's English and math exams. About 30 percent of white and asian-american students failed to achieve the minimum English test scores.
? The results for eighth grade students were even worse. Here, 75 percent of black and hispanic students flunked both the English and the math tests. About 50 percent of white and Asian-American eighth graders failed the tests. These illiteracy rates are now common in public schools across America, not just in New York City.
In short,as shown by the New York State Education Department's annual report and other studies, student illiteracy rates in many public schools range from 30 to 75 percent. This is an education horror story.
That is what illiteracy can mean, what it does mean for millions of public-school children who can barely read. Does any parent want this kind of future for his or her children? I argue in my book, "Public Schools, Public Menace" that our public school system is the primary cause of this tragic illiteracy, and one reason why these schools are a menace to our children.
A great movie to see that shows the tragic consequences of illiteracy is "Stanley and Iris" with Robert DeNiro and Jane Fonda. After you see this movie, you might think twice about keeping your children in public schools.
Joel Turtel is an education policy analyst, and author of "Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents and Betray Our Children."
Contact Information:
Website: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com,
Email: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com,
Phone: 718-447-7348.
Article Copyrighted ? 2005 by Joel Turtel
NOTE: You may post this Article on an Ezine, newsletter, or other website only if you include Joel Turtel's complete contact information, and set up a hyperlink to Joel Turtel's email address and website URL, http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com
We're all familiar with the over-indulgent parent. But there's another... Read More
As a mother of two sets of fraternal boy/girl twins,... Read More
Many parents seem to be more than a little confused... Read More
Looking for an unusual and memorable gift? Why not preserve... Read More
The Theme from MASHI flipped the button on the remote... Read More
It's back to school time again. Does the thought of... Read More
Picture this. Your child comes home with a special assignment... Read More
Loving your step-child can be both simple and hard. It... Read More
"Will my doubts and fears affect my child?" This father... Read More
Karen, a single never-married thirty-year old attorney has a four-year... Read More
Kids today no longer live the kind of privileged lives... Read More
You know that children can get into trouble. The older... Read More
There is no doubt that the benefits of being a... Read More
Here is a list of ways to convey the message... Read More
Article based on a friend's experienceI just wanted to share... Read More
For first time parents choosing a swing set or outdoor... Read More
Assuming there are no serious motor problems present, what can... Read More
My cousin boasts five names and I confess that when... Read More
"Good parents give their children Roots and Wings." --Jonas SalkThe... Read More
Winnie the Pooh is the classic picture of Inattentive ADHD.... Read More
1 - Forgive even if you will never be able... Read More
As a step daughter and step grand daughter, I followed... Read More
Best friends! It may seem impossible to believe, but today's... Read More
The key to lifelong learning is reading and writing. When... Read More
We are all familiar with the stories that most students... Read More
tidy up service Buffalo Grove ..Are you looking for the Ultimate Airplane Themed Party Games... Read More
The subject of competition is one that provokes some pretty... Read More
Do you have a young child whose weight or eating... Read More
If you were to ask 100 parents why they think... Read More
Part of the responsibility of being a father is to... Read More
Bath time can be fun or it can be a... Read More
Lead is one of the most dangerous toxins a person... Read More
Not Letting Them Think.We all implicitly know that anything questioning... Read More
A study done by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found... Read More
Many years ago, my children were raised on the various... Read More
It happens every year. Just when you are settled in... Read More
Gift shops are a kid magnet and often a trip... Read More
Predicament:My son is 4 1/2 years old. His younger brother... Read More
What makes parenting so challenging at times? One widespread research... Read More
Just a couple of years ago Annie helped her parents... Read More
Hope, excitement and anxiety all wrapped up in fresh haircuts... Read More
Thank you for all that you do in the classroom!... Read More
Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes around the brain... Read More
Throughout the year, many days of celebration are tucked capriciously... Read More
As a hypnotherapist, I am acutely aware of the power... Read More
Here are some tips that I have picked up from... Read More
NY -- Strange as it may sound, bordom promotes happier,... Read More
Should a parent give a child a tangible reward when... Read More
It was at that time when our marriage was falling... Read More
Reading to your child at a young age is one... Read More
Parenting |