promote literacy

the TASS test standards, which has it’s pros and cons. Personally I am against this type of education because it is all by rote without much creativity thrown in the mix. Many people know what they have learned but freeze up on tests (myself included) so I truly do not believe it is any indication of literacy. But it is how the school systems in Texas get federal funding.

My son says they have a system that if the children fall behind and are labeled slow learners they put them in special classes and somehow are absolved of being poor teachers and still get the federal funding. He is very conservative in his beliefs so I tend to believe he has looked into this.

My granddaughter had fallen behind in her reading skills so my son and daughter-in-law took the bull by the horns read with her every day to get her to her grade level in reading comprehension. She passed the Tass test reading section with flying colors. Her teacher was amazed.

While they were concentrating on her reading skills her math skills dropped from a 93 to a 75…not sure why but they decided she should go to summer school for the month of June for math tutoring. Her teacher told them that wasn’t necessary. It wouldn’t do any good because her test scores were low. So they went to the principal of the school to get it approved.

He said he wished more parents took an interest in their children’s progress. My granddaughter has done well with her math class and is back up to her grade level.

My question is why are teachers allowed to label a child slow so they don’t have to take responsibility for illiteracy? Aren’t they being paid to encourage and teach our children?

the story of Dr. Ben Carson on TNT. It was insprational to say the least. Good television is rare. This was one of the best things I have seen in a very long time.

As a child he had learning disabilities and a mother who believed in him but who herself was illiterate (unable to read). What we tend to forget is that the ability to read is something we learn while our innate intelligence is a gift we are given at birth. Learning to read enables us to learn what others already know but also unleashes our own imaginations to discover new frontiers.

His mother knew this. She turned off the TV and challenged her sons to go to the library, read 2 books a week and write book reports for her.

This hit close to home for me yesterday. My son called and in our conversation he told me my grand-daughter was having trouble with reading comprehension. He has taken the bull by the horns and is reading with her every evening instead of watching TV.

We can solve our literacy problems one child at a time if each of us make a commitment just like Ben Carson’s mother and my son by opening up books and turning off the TV.

me an application to fill out to volunteer with the Literacy project. This will be fun.

I was once a Big Sister in the Big Brothers/Sister organization when my sons were toddlers. That was a wonderful experience so I know this will be too.

is essential when you are building your life. I have always been a volunteer and totally enjoy giving my time and effort to the community.

I have decided part of my sadness is not making a difference any more so this morning I called the Literacy Volunteers of Flathead County and left a message I want to volunteer with them.

Hopefully they will call me back soon.

about a 70 year old gentleman who has lived his entire life not being able to read. He was responsible for taking his grandson to school each day. One day he asked his grandson’s 1st grade teacher if he could join the class to learn to read. That took such courage!

It was a heartwarming story that brought tears to my eyes. We take for granted that in the land of public education everyone can at least basically read. Guess we have some work to do.

and the percentage of teenage pregnancies here this may become a very important project.

Frankly, today I am just in shock at the news…

and cannot find one. I’ve asked around and no one knows of one except a mentor program in the elementary school in a small town 35 miles away.

hmmm something to ponder.