I'm back with a special post today because it is International Literacy Day.
Adults reading this: Take a moment and appreciate how easy it is for you to read. How you do it every day. How you don't even think about how, at one point, this was a skill you struggled to grasp and maybe even cried over because it was so frustrating to remember which letters made which sounds and how sometimes that 'e' or 'p' was silent, but now always.
Now think about the wee little children who may still have those feelings of frustration. It is so easy for a child to slip in among the cracks of the education systems worldwide. Take some time--today, everyday--to read with a child. Try to make it an enjoyable experience for him or her.
In the first grade, I was a struggling reader. It's only because my teachers took notice and my dad began to spend each night reading to me aloud that I improved and got to the point where I'd read more books than anyone else in my grade a few years later.
Or if you aren't in a position to do that, get caught reading, in class, on the bus, in the office. Show the world how enjoyable reading can be.
To learn more about International Literacy Day, click here.
Just thought I'd share my own literacy success experience:
ReplyDeleteMy ex-husband was dyslexic as a kid and hated to read growing up. When we got married I started reading the Harry Potter series out loud to him (and made him read a chapter to me out of each book). We continued reading older children's books and now he's reading and enjoying the Percy and Olympians series on his own without struggling at all.
That's an awesome story!
ReplyDeleteAnd Percy Jackson is such an excellent choice. Because according to the rules, this mean he could be the son of one of the Greek gods.