Read Across America

Literacy: Up and Down

There must be something about hats. I’m not sure if it’s the style or type of hat that really has the power. A goofy stovepipe hat and a wizard’s hat seem to keep people turning pages. The Cat in the Hat book and the Harry Potter series has kept children and adults reading. Yet, despite these great books, illiteracy is still very prevalent.

Dr. Seuss is one of the most popular writers for teachers and beginning readers. His one book, The Cat in the Hat, is a first grade masterpiece. This book, rather poem, contains a vocabulary list of only 236 words. Since 1957, The Cat in the Hat has educated and entertained millions.

Harry Potter is the current champion of reading. The series is the best selling book, according to the New York Times. If you do searches about Harry online, you will find stories of children who have never picked up a book, until they picked up Harry. I read one of a student who has dyslexia and put forth the effort to learn to read because of Harry Potter. Another key point that shows Harry’s impact on learning is, it is the first book ever to have a Braille version in print the same week it is available in hardcover print.

So with great books that are inspiring more people, adults and children to read, why is the literacy rate flat lining? Reading is just not for enjoyment. Reading is key to many daily tasks, including our careers. Job applications, instructions to operate machines, road signs to read to know which street you’re on, and many more tasks are reliant on reading. Many people can be functionally literate, meaning they have basic reading skills, yet it can limit job advancement.

Other countries are now surpassing America in the literacy rate. I hear it time and time again, “I don’t like to read”. I quickly ask the question, “Then you don’t want to drive or get a job, either?”

Learning to read is very important and there are many teachers ready to help. For people with disabilities, there are many technological advances available to help as well. For limited vision, computers are able to increase the size of the text. For others, Braille books are much more readily available. There are also books on tape that can help sound out words as follow along in the book. Software is available that can customize learning to almost any reading disability.

If you have a 6th grade reading level (or you can read this story), then share your knowledge with others. Wear a hat of responsibility to pass on your reading ability to others. Whether it is a stovepipe hat, a wizard’s hat, or an employer’s hat, reading is both fun and necessary. March 2nd is Dr. Seuss’s birthday and this year it also marks the 50th anniversary of The Cat in the Hat. Share a book or an employment application with someone. Show them how to read, or enroll them in a reading class.