Motivated Mondays: Literacy

A boy used to sit towards the back of my history class every day in high school. A shy, thin boy, he was a kid who could have been mistaken for his own shadow. A couple months into school was the first I learned his name. My teacher paired us together for a project. We were to use our textbooks to answer some questions about a part of the unit we were learning at the time. I do not remember the topic. Before we began the assignment, my teacher took me aside and told me she had paired me with him because she wanted me to help him with looking up the information. She told me that he was functionally illiterate.

It hurt to watch as he stumbled over four and five letter words, words I could pronounce in kindergarten or first grade. It made me so angry. How many teachers had just passed him through the system? How does a kid make it to high school without being able to read?

It inspired me to do some research involving literacy in DC. What I discovered broke my heart: nearly a third of our residents are illiterate. We live in one of the most powerful cities in the world, and still we have one of the highest rates of illiteracy in the country.

This is why it is so important to support programs that promote literacy, no matter where you are. As you read this, you probably take that ability for granted. Think for minute on the simplest tasks, and how complicated they would be without the ability to read.

It is not enough to recognize your ability, but to share it with others. Maybe you volunteer at a school library, or read a book to a child in your neighborhood every now and then. Maybe you join a walk or literacy, or host your own read-a-thon. Do something.

What became the boy who sat in the back of class? He worked with an in-school specialist, learned to read, graduated from high school, and went on to college. While I cannot say that this is the average story of a boy who was failed by so many of his educators, I can say that I am glad. I'm glad he was finally surrounded by a community who said "No more. This child deserves better." I'm glad to have known him. He continues to inspire me.

Check out DC LEARNs for more on literacy in DC.