Literacy Challenges

Post #44

I was knocking on doors recently and got a bit turned around. A father and son were sitting outside, playing.  I approached them and asked for directions to the house I sought. 

Realizing that the father did not understand my question, I asked again, this time in Spanish.  He came toward me, wanting to be helpful.  I pointed to the address on my sheet.  Did he know which house this was?  He studied the paper for quite a while but said nothing.

It occurred to me that he might not be able to read English, so I emphasized the house number.  Again, I got no feedback.

I left to find my own way but was troubled by this encounter.  How, I wondered, will this father provide for his son’s future?  How involved can he be in his education?  Have they tried to take advantage of government-sponsored programs, which face their own challenges with reduced funding and growing demands?

Thankfully, there are organizations such as the Literacy Council of Montgomery County that help fill the gap.  Established in 1963, Literacy Council volunteers provide tutoring to approximately 1,500 adults (with 65 native languages) each year.   It has been demonstrated that a parent’s literacy is a significant predictor of a child's future literacy ability.  This has an impact on factors ranging from health care to job prospects and family income.  LCMC’s office is on the third floor of our beautiful Rockville library, conveniently located near Metro in Town Square.

To learn more, donate, or volunteer, I hope you will visit http://literacycouncilmcmd.org/. There are an additional 1,600 prospective learners who are on waiting lists who could benefit from your help!

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!   How do you communicate with someone for whom is English is not their native language?  What should government’s role be?  Nonprofits?  Please send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#44) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.