Hi Everyone,
Today is Family Literacy Day in Canada. I think that it is great that we have a day set aside for family literacy because it’s a good way to get families reading. Literacy, or illiteracy, affects all aspects of our lives. This is what I mean.
When multi-national companies are looking for new locations to build their manufacturing plants they consider all economic aspects. I know of one multi-national company that decided to build one of their facilities in Canada, instead of in the United States because of our literacy rates in Ontario. The thinking was that they could train us without having to use flashcards. No joke. That is one example of many!
And the example that we set as parents is very important to our children or children in our care. As a child, I always had books in my life, I read a lot and still do. I began reading (out loud) to my daughter while I was pregnant and I continued that until she was almost twelve. My daughter loved that so I read to her even when I didn’t want to. Ten to fifteen minutes is all it took. She also happily read on her own when she knew how.
Even when we lived in Europe, I made a point of finding a bookstore that sold books in English for my daughter to read. After a while, it got expensive but the cost of her NOT reading was something that I would not allow. To this day we are avid readers and exchange books. But not everyone is like us. My mother never read books for herself or for me. I guess I got the reading bug from school.
But school should not be the only place where and why people read. In my opinion, people should read at least a few hours a week. If I can, I try to read a few hours a day. Sometimes, if I am reading what I consider to be a light book, I read during commercials because commercials are lasting longer all the time. I also have a reading list and I scour the local bookstore all the time. My daughter is no different. 🙂 I have always encouraged her to read any chance she can.
Reading does take time and time is not always on people’s side. I get that. But we now have audio books that can be borrowed from libraries for FREE!!! ;D One report stated that if people listen to audio books while they commute they could get a university education in five years or less, depending on the distance. There are always free newspapers, magazines or articles on line. And don’t forget the library!
Libraries offer more than print, eBooks and audio books. They also have magazines, movies, and computers. A lot of super smart people work at libraries too. ;D
If you would like you, your children or children you know to read or read more, start by reading to them. It also helps to have books around. If you leave a book or a magazine on a coffee table people will eventually open them and read them. Reading is very important part of all of our lives.
Below is a link to the World Literacy Foundation. If you read it and get to the Table 4A: Cost of Illiteracy in Developed Countries, Canada looks pretty bad. Don’t let that alarm you. We allow for immigration and a lot of those new immigrants do not assimilate themselves with those that speak English. Countries that do not have high immigration rates look good because no one wants to move there.
Here is the link,
http://www.worldliteracyfoundation.org/The_Economic_&_Social_Cost_of_Illiteracy.pdf
This PDF is eighteen pages in length. If you want to print it off, I would suggest that you look at all the eighteen pages before doing so because there are some pictures.
Thank you for reading, A.Rebel’s Rant! ;D
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