When I was a kid, I went to a very small elementary school, in a very small old stone building, in a very small community in southwest Arkansas. ("It's alright to be little-bitty." - Alan Jackson) I am confident there is no other building like this one in the whole world. There were three large classrooms (housing two classes of children each: first and second grade, third and fourth grade, and fifth and sixth grade), one room used as a computer lab (and yes we did have the old gray solid piece Apple computers that were AWESOME), a set of very old bathrooms marked 'boys' and 'girls', a teacher's lounge area that I'm pretty sure was just created with some added drywall, and two offices for the principal and the counselor. In the middle of these rooms was a large open area we referred to as the auditorium, which was fitting since it had a stage at one end. Almost everything in the school was a dark brown wood. The walls, the floors, the stage, everything. I believe the extremely high ceilings were white washed, and each of the classrooms had a large wall of windows which sometimes made it hard to concentrate in class. The building was built of wood, stone, and cement. Solid to say the very least. In hindsight, it was like stepping back in time, but I was too young then to know most people did not attend school in buildings like that one. The auditorium, when not being used for school plays, award ceremonies, graduations and the like, was filled with shelves on wheels which contained our library (and could quite conveniently be moved when we needed to set chairs up for our parents to watch our productions and accomplishments). This is where I first learned to adore the concept of a library. I distinctly remember my mother taking me to this library either before I started kindergarten or just after finishing kindergarten, and I was allowed to borrow books in the summer. It was thrilling! It was also the location of many a book fair, which is to this day pretty much my favorite thing in the world.
I have loved books as long as I can recall. My parents and grandparents read to me from infancy I suppose. More than that, I saw them reading, which fueled my desire to learn to read as soon as possible. I wanted to read books with no (or fewer) pictures, books with chapters, books with over 100 pages! When I first began my attendance of the afore mentioned school at age 5, I was extremely disappointed after the first day of kindergarten did not result in my mastery of the written English word. And unfortunately, at that time, kindergarten was held in a building separate from the one which contained the library, and we had to wait for library day each week to experience it... ("It's a hard-knock life.."- Annie).
Unlike some children, my love for the written word never faltered. Not through the hormonal middle school years, nor the peer pressurey high school years when I had a lot on my plate trying to be social and all. Not through college when God knows I didn't have time for leisurely reading except during extended breaks. Even now as I struggle my way through graduate school I sneak the occasional peek at a book that I want to read, and not one that I have to. I don't know if I could live without it. I've never tried. But all in all, I don't think my love of reading gets in the way of living my life, it enhances it. My nose isn't constantly stuck in a book, just a lot of the time...
I can remember days in the summer spent COMPLETELY absorbed in a book. All day long I would sit and read, only escaping my room, or wherever I had chosen to land, for a quick bite to eat after which I would return to complete absorption. This drove my mother crazy! She was constantly telling me to "Go outside and play! Go outside and ___________(insert chore here)! GO OUTSIDE!" Apparently, outside was the place for children and teenagers in the summer, despite the fact that we lived in southern Arkansas and it was a hundred and ten in the shade for Pete's sake. So, after this one-sided conversation ensued on a regular basis, I would take my book and head to the porch or some other shady spot and be content reading outside. For some reason I never started out reading there. I guess I just liked to hear mom nag at me...for reading.
I could never understand why my mother would have a problem with my desire and ability to read. I'm pretty sure I have told her on more than one occasion, "I don't know why you don't want me to read. You're so lucky! You never had to invest in Hooked on Phonics with this kid!" Lucky her, my little brother, Clint, turned out to be the same way. Many times we have sat side by side for hours, noses stuck in books, sometimes the same book, different copy, different chapter. Now that's sibling bonding.
(To be clear, I later understood that it wasn't that my mother didn't want me to read, she just wanted me to get off my butt, get out of the house and do something active.)
I don't remember my father ever having any sort of aversion to mine and Clint's reading habits, although we did get the occasional ribbing for being book nerds, but in a purely loving way. I'm sure it did grade on his nerves when we would all gather in the family room and my little bro and I completely ignored the goings on around us because the books we were reading took precedence over anything else.
I don't think my parents knew what they were getting into by making books and reading such a large part of my life at an early age. However, I am soooo thankful they did it! And despite the frustrations they must have later suffered due to Clint's and my total obsession with the written word, I intend to raise any children I might have in the same fashion. Reading must be made fun, not made out to be a chore. My hypothetical children will be read to and will see me reading, and hopefully that will instill in him/her/them the desire to read as well.
I told you that story to say this: literacy is important and affects people's livelihoods. An organization called The Literacy Company was founded in order to produce software that teaches people to read proficiently. This company has conducted research regarding literacy and the following are a few literacy facts they have published on their website, http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp:
- Over one million children drop out of school each year, costing the nation over $240 billion in lost earnings, forgone tax revenues, and expenditures for social services. (McQuillan, 1998)
- More than 20 percent of adults read at or below a fifth-grade level - far below the level needed to earn a living wage. (National Institute for Literacy, 2001) |
- More than three out of four of those on welfare, 85% of unwed mothers and 68% of those arrested are illiterate. About three in five of America's prison inmates are illiterate. (Washington Literacy Council)
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