How well do you read
Introduction: It might be more accurate to ask the question, “How well do your kids read?” That was a statement read in old Readers Digest using that last statement as an indicator of 13 things your house reveals about you.
It is hoped that everything written in this column over the decades have embraced and emphasized the concept of the importance of knowing how to read and how to read well. One report stated that in today’s fast moving world, it is critical that students develop the literacy skills they need to read, write, think and communicate effectively.
It is a firm conviction here that many are going through life without adequate skills to function in the area of reading and gain all the benefits of possessing those skills. Of course there are many who do possess those skills.
Importance of the ability to read well: The point made concerning the ability of your child to read well was the 13th, or last, of the things listed of what our homes tell about us. It was a statement consisting of only one short paragraph. The thoughts contained in that paragraph led this writer to other works, other studies and other reports (research in other words).
A statement from “The Literacy Cooperative’s” website in Ohio said, “Strong literacy skills – the ability to read, write, speak, compute and problem solving are essential for people to succeed.” The Cooperative’s statement went on to emphasize several areas in life that are affected by the degree of literacy skills. Those areas affected were parent- child interaction, school performance, graduation rates, employment opportunities, earnings and quality of life in our communities.
A most important point – and one found in many mission statements of our local school systems – is young people exposed to reading and writing develop literacy who are reared in homes with parents who are not interested in reading or providing means by which their children can read. How skilled is your child in the basic literacy skills? Read carefully the next paragraph:
The Reader’s Digest article referenced a 2014 study that found the number of books in a home is by far the most important predictor of our child’s grade-level performance. The article compared this factor with others things we think of importance such as income level or community in which we live.
At this point there needs to be an expression of those early school days at Belwood when our teachers with great patience exposed us to words and their meaning. The memory of those cards with words put on a board and the teachers using them for us is still vivid in my mind.
I will always be thankful I got to sit in the “library” of our thirdgrade class taught by Miss Burdette. The library was a make-shift, threeshelf collection of grade-level books. I read them over and over during the year. Those early years were an exposure to literacy more valuable than any activity in which I could have engaged.
That acquisition of those skills was combined with a remembrance of my mother bringing home my first comic books. On the front porch I digested (not eating) every picture and every word of the Porky Pig and Dick Tracy comic books. From those early years, reading has been a prevalent aspect of my life. It is a belief here that the addiction to the screen of the modern computer and smart phones will greatly hinder the ability to read; possibly not. It does greatly hinder the interaction in conversation of families and friends.
I close with Philips question in the New Testament Book of Acts when he asked the Ethiopian Eunuch, “Do you understand what you read?” An appropriate question today might be “Can you read?”