Cook's Brew
I was driving behind a car recently that sported a bumper sticker with the slogan: "If you can read this, thank a teacher." This made me smile because I have fond memories of teachers who helped me learn the important skill of reading. Reading is one of my favorite pastimes.
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In Louisiana, adult literacy estimates based on census data indicate that 28% of the population reads at the lowest level or not at all. This makes them functionally illiterate. Another 42% read at the next level up, which is still reading too poorly to do most skills required in today's workplace.
This means that 70% of the people you meet on the street have problems reading the manuals that come with their appliances or their video equipment. They cannot apply for jobs like the ones advertised by Client Logic because they cannot read and understand the manuals used by these telephone computer techs.
Of that 70%, slightly over a third are considered functionally illiterate by the National Adult Literacy Survey. The NALS assigns that lowest reading level to adults who struggle to read even simple children's books. They cannot fill out job applications. They cannot decipher the want ads. They cannot find an intersection on street maps. Because of their poor reading ability, they have difficulty earning a living wage.
Statistics show that nationwide, 43% of those with the lowest literacy live in poverty. Poor literacy often results in a vicious cycle. The adult cannot read to the child or help with homework. The family lives below the poverty level where children are often exposed to criminal behavior as a means to escape poverty. The children often drop out of school. Too often they resort to criminal activity and end up in prison.
When they end up in prison, I am one of the ones who has the opportunity to help break the cycle. I am an adult education teacher at Washington Correctional Institute. Our school services approximately 150 inmates who are attempting to break the cycle. They are working hard to learn to read, write and compute math problems. Many will obtain their GED while in prison.
While I am a certified teacher, there are many teachers out there who have no degree. Every time you read to a child, you join the ranks of reading encouragers. Numerous volunteers go to the schools to help at-risk youth improve their reading skills. These volunteers are trained by certified teachers and work under their direction to make a difference.
The Washington Parish Literacy Counsel trains volunteers to work with adults who never learned to read. These volunteers are not degreed, either; but they take a workshop that trains them to teach nonreaders. The Counsel is always seeking volunteers who are willing to share their valued skill with others.
One problem that prison teachers and the literacy volunteers encounter is the reluctance of those who are functionally illiterate to admit their problem. They often hide their difficulty well. They have learned to compensate for their lack, so that others may not realize they cannot read.
One of the former students at WCI came to prison unable to read or write. He had turned to drugs to earn a living. He told us that when he was put in jail, he felt like a total failure. In prison, he was told about God's love and forgiveness. He believed what he heard and turned his life over to God, but he wanted to read God's promises for himself. He did not want to take someone else's word for something so important.
He began to pour over the Bible every night, trying to sound out words. Eventually, he had the courage to admit to a Christian friend that he could not read. He was afraid to enroll in the WCI literacy program because he knew some of the prisoners would make fun of him for being illiterate. With the support of his friend, he enrolled in classes. He later told me prison saved his life.
"I thank God daily that He loved me enough to put me behind bars so I could find real freedom," he concluded.
He told me the freedom came from his relationship with Christ and his ability to read. Being able to read freed him from the prison of illiteracy and gave him hope for a future on the outside. He earned his GED and learned the welding trade. He is now back in society earning a living and encouraging others to learn to read before they end up behind bars.
Too many Louisianans are held captive in the prison of illiteracy. You can make a difference by teaching another to read or by encouraging someone you know who cannot read to admit their difficulty and seek help. You can contact the Literacy Counsel by calling Jo Purvis at 735-6798. If you are interested in volunteering at WCI, call Dr. Wayne Cook at 986-5055.
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