Literacy

. . . or illiteracy -- depending upon the choosen perspective.

While I was in my campus office during lunchtime today, I saw this book on the shelf. Last semester I mentioned it several times and meant to take the book into the class to show my students because many of them could not believe that someone who had been a high school teacher really could not read.

So today I reached for the book and thumbed through the pages. When I arrived back in the Writing Center, where I am spending the rest of the afternoon, I did a quick search on the Internet to learn what John Corcoran is doing today.

Well, his book has now gone into a 2nd edition and Corcoran has written another book as well, The Bridge to Literacy. Corcoran also now has created a foundation to help children and adults learn to read. Here is a brief interview of Corcoran.

I met him years ago when our local library invited him to speak at an event for the general public. I'm sure it was to enhance a literacy awareness program. He explained that evening how he managed to get through high school and college and then he landed a job as a high school teacher. He says he could not even read the word "the." When I tell my students that they simply don't believe me, but that is his confession.

So during these few summer days that I am in the Writing Center, I'm working on lesson plans and ideas for the classes that I will teach when September begins. I always have my students read a series of articles about illiteracy in America. They are usually quite shocked when they learn that 1 out of every 5 people in this nation cannot read beyond a 3rd grade level. Then we discuss the tragedy of passing a child who cannot read from 3rd grade and what happens when he or she gets to 4th grade where students no longer are taught "how to read" but instead they are expected to begin "reading to learn."

Thirty-plus students are in each of my classes. When they realize that if they match the national statistic, 6 people in the room cannot read. Even if my students aren't "interested," at that moment, they're paying attention. This leads naturally to asking about their reading habits and some of them confess that they've never even read an entire book.

It brings me back to the thought that a teacher's first task is not to teach students, but to ignite their desire; however, before it is the teacher's job, it is the parents' job to birth desire in their children.

So those are today's thoughts while supervising the Writing Center.

At 4:15 p.m., that's it from this spot in Southern California.
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol