Toronto Star: November 01, 2007 Andres Laxamana
"I couldn't read until I was in Grade 4."
The statement shocked me because it came from my partner, Adam. He was someone I had always known to be a voracious reader, an experienced teacher and one who has always stressed the importance of literacy and learning to his students.
How could someone neck deep in teaching literacy have flown under the radar for so long?
The dictionary defines literacy as the ability to read and write. What it fails to mention is that literacy goes beyond the decoding of words and sentences. Its true core is understanding and making sense of information. Its core is that of attaining knowledge.
The inability to read has a far-reaching influence and impact on one's life. Yet it is a skill we often take for granted. We neglect its direct impact on our health, social interactions, ability to learn and day-to-day functioning.
Just imagine not being able to read street signs or directions on how to take your medications or the price of apples at the market. Imagine not being able to fill out a job application, read the names of candidates on an election ballot or understand the latest headline in the newspaper.
Literacy not only has an impact on the individual, but also on our communities. Our nation's ability to prosper and to be competitive internationally is vitally related to our literacy levels.
Then why do 42 per cent of Canadian adults not have adequate literacy skills to perform everyday tasks? And why has the Harper government recently made $20 million worth of cuts to adult literacy programs?
Why was a mayor willing to close our public library system on Sundays, preventing Torontonians from learning and developing their reading skills at one of the most used public library systems in North America?
Why has the flawed funding formula forced Ontario school boards to divert funding for ESL teachers in order to heat schools, purchase classroom supplies and pay for other vital staff, and in doing so make it more challenging to teach English literacy skills to some of our newest and most vulnerable Canadians?
Why has the provincial government, which espouses the importance of developing literacy skills in our children, been so slow to change the funding formula and provide a full-time teacher librarian in every elementary school?
Is it just me or is everyone asleep at the proverbial wheel?
Beyond this being a silent issue and one accompanied by embarrassment and stigma, there is something every one of us can do to address our literacy problem:
Make reading a daily activity in your home.
Encourage children to read everything from novels and newspapers to cereal boxes because they will be developing important skills for life.
Support the efforts of literacy organizations such as Frontier College as it endeavours to promote and teach literacy and learning skills.
If you are reading this, you have a valuable skill that can be taught to someone: volunteer these skills with literacy organizations, community programs and libraries.
Support our public library systems, their role in promoting literacy and learning for all Canadians, and their child and adult literacy services.
Don't allow politicians and decision-makers to sweep this problem under the rug by neglecting to support literacy programs and libraries.
I asked Adam what finally got him to read. "It was my Grade 4 teacher who got me interested in reading the Hardy Boys novels." He said it may seem silly, but that one event totally transformed his world and his ability to learn and access new information. It likely affected his career path and his ability to share his enthusiasm for reading with others.
Literacy has the ability to transform lives. And as Adam states simply, "Literacy equals knowledge which equals power."
Andres Laxamana is a former member of the Star's Community Editorial Board.
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/272438
