What Literacy is to Me

Literacy is the comprehension of reading and writing. It is not just the ability to read and write but to understand it as well. Without comprehension, reading and writing will be gibberish.

Reading is not memorization of words but the perception of the words. My boyfriend’s niece asked if she could read her book to me. While she was reading, I noticed her eyes were not skimming over the words. She had simply memorized what the first page had said and was reciting it to me. I turned the page to the middle of the book and asked her to read it to me. She recited the initial first page to me. She was not reading but memorizing.

I helped her with reading the rest of her book. When she did not understand what a word meant, I put it into words she could comprehend. It took a while, but she was enthusiastic that she can now read the entire book. She did not rely on memorizing but knew what her book meant. Reading is not memorizing; each word is profound and is picked to emphasize the context.

Thinking critically is essential in literacy. There is never a simple right or wrong answer but many different views of a written work. Different views can be associated with one’s culture and background. Literacy is very diverse and complex. Literacy is also the flow of creativity. Literacy is not simple mechanics in reading and writing but is very complex and organic. The exploration and comprehension of literacy is an art.

I feel sympathetic towards teachers today. The teacher to student ratio is ridiculous. Students are being cheated out of a proper education. Qualified teachers are unequipped with the proper tools, which makes their tasks impossible to accomplish. Parents are working too much and spending less time with their kids. Proper education for a student seems to be a Herculean task, but it can still be done.

I have observed many parents using the television as “quality time” with their kids. This time can be spent going over what their kid learned at school and helping them with homework. When I was young, my mom would bring flashcards in her purse and when we were in a store she would quiz me. These simple little things can make a huge difference in a child’s learning process.

As a teacher, my first task would to get the parents involved. I would want to meet my student’s parents to let them know what my curriculum is and give them tips on what to help their child with at home. The majority of parents today do not even know what subjects their kids are taking in school. I think getting the parents involved can help the kid moving in the right direction. It will also allow the student to feel that someone cares about them and encourage them to do well in school. My goal is to do my part to prevent my students from becoming another “drop out statistic” and that they can accomplish their goals by working hard.

I plan on teaching either history or literature. Perhaps I’ll teach a combination of both, since they seem to be intertwined with one another. I will not bore my students with facts, names, and dates, etc. Instead, I will want to teach concepts. I want my students to brain storm and allow creativity to be a part of their daily lives. I would want my class to be as lively a possible. Like literacy, my teaching style will not be a specific structured class setting, but instead, full of comprehension, culture, and creativity.