Adding Up the Cost of Low Literacy Among Adults

Recently, NPR began a 4 part series on the devastating cost that low literacy has on society as a whole, as well as the individual. In their final piece, they discuss the effects that these low literacy rates among adults have on personal and family health, drop-out rates, and waning career options. What I found most important as a future teacher however, was their attention to the fact that being an illiterate adult has a devastating effect on their ability to be a parent who can foster and propel their child's learning in a positive way. Throughout the article, they follow a woman who spoke very little English and couldn't read it all, as she details attending her daughter's parent teacher conference. Can you imagine the helplessness that a parent and their child feel in this situation? It's heartbreaking.

Often as students in the Educational realm, we are driven by our desire to transform the minds of young people, but we give very little thought to where these knowledge thirsty children come from. In one of my courses this semester, we are being challenged to think about learning and teaching with an eye for our prospective students' "home cultures." By a home culture, what they essential mean is that they wish for you to really know your student and the situations from which they hail. When I saw this article, it struck me that I had never once considered the prospect of having a student who has one or even two illiterate parents. The educational disparity in our country is very real, but it's so often over-looked and brushed over by those of us that have had relatively easy and plentiful access to an education that has worked. I suppose I just wanted to share this with you all to bring it to the forefront of your minds & to allow you to be both thankful and mindful of the great position that you are in.

http://www.npr.org/2013/10/30/241910094/adding-up-the-cost-of-low-literacy-among-adults