posting via Treo from Rotary…
Our speaker today is Debbie Yoho of the Greater Columbia Literacy Council, talking about the problem of adult illiteracy in South Carolina.
Her Most Alarming Fact sums up why we should care: 52 percent of adults in South Carolina can’t read beyond an elementary school basis. It’s actually worse than that sounds … Debbie explains that what that means is that a majority of adults in our state can’t anything beyond 300 to 500 simple word they recognize by sight. I don’t know about you, but I’m guessing I was at that point sometime during the first grade.
Explains a lot, huh?
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“that a majority of adults in our state can’t [read] anything beyond 300 to 500 simple word[s] ”
I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume the typos were a bit of clever irony.
Barely related (sad) story: I know a board member of a regional Literacy Council in a state to our north who became disillusioned with the work of her local literacy council when she learned that a large number of the people they helped to learn to read and write in English were Spanish speaking members of the community. Regarding her charitable contributions, she shook her head in disgust and said, “My Money!….going to help a bunch of illegals!”
1. How did she know that they were illegal rather than legal immigrants? 2. The problem with helping them to learn the native language is??
My experience here in SC is that in addition to immigrants of various kinds, is that there are a lot of people out there (poor people) of all races (don’t think just black here) who can barely maneuver through a grocery store. They recognize the canned food mostly by the picture on the label (try this with someone who, having been raised in a foreign country, knows the veggie but can’t read the label and doesn’t prepare it so it looks like the label–oh, joy!), who gets their 1040 EZ filled out by a taxpreparer who happily collects money for what the government will do for free, and who can read street signs but not a map. There are lots of them out there, and they are so ashamed that they cover very well, and will do without instead of asking help. Oh, by the way, between their inability to read a written sign, and their shame at not being able to read, they don’t sign up for literacy courses, even when they are offered for free. I don’t know how we reach these people, but we need to, for their sakes, and more, for the sake of their children.
Try this jewel from The State’s website today:
HOMEWORD BOUND
A quick, by-the-numbers glance at the U.S. military’s leave program.
And this link to that story:
Pot, kettle.
Karen McLeod wrote:
“1. How did she know that they were illegal rather than legal immigrants? 2. The problem with helping them to learn the native language is??”
I made those EXACT same points and her dismissive responses were: (1) “Oh, you KNOW they were illegal!” (me: “No, I don’t. How, exactly, did you know?” her: “Don’t be naïve, you KNOW they were!” …that pretty much ended that part of the conversation)
and (2) “It’s MY money, I can do whatever I want with it!” (me: “That’s a real Christian attitude.”….it went downhill fast from there)