Literacy

Summer vacation is coming. The students are probably beginning to lose some of their focus, and perhaps their teachers are as well. Wandering minds are inevitable at this time of year, with the promise of lazy days by the pool, endless sports, and the freedom from homework. But as educators, we know that the glory days of summer have a dark underbelly – the dreaded “summer slide.”

Every year the media latches on to some "new" statistic that either highlights American students' academic successes or reiterates their failure against European and Asian counterparts on standardized test scores. It’s a fairly predictable event, and the pendulum swings both ways – up one minute, and down the next. One troubling trend, however, seems to have some teeth. Reading scores for U.S. students have shown little improvement in recent years, despite national efforts to boost children’s basic reading skills.

You know Martha.

Martha lives in a well-appointed house with nicely manicured grounds. Martha is creative, enterprising, and has a way with words. Martha is also quite the gourmand, and knows her way around a tureen of vegetable soup. I’m referring, of course, to the loquacious canine Martha, from Martha Speaks. First introduced in the children’s books by Susan Meddaugh and later turned into an animated TV series by PBS Kids and WGBH Boston, Martha Speaks focuses on vocabulary development for 4-to-7-year olds.

The theme of International Literacy Day this year, “Literacy and Empowerment,” reminds me of the scope of impact educators have on our students. We are not just teaching kids the basics of a particular grade level or subject; we are teaching them important life skills they will need throughout their lives. Giving our students the gift of literacy truly does empower them and opens up so many opportunities.

Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.
– Frederick Douglass

On September 8th, the world will observe International Literacy Day, an annual reminder of the importance of literacy and global learning created by UNESCO in 1965. It’s an annual event to raise awareness about the role that literacy plays in our local and global communities.