SATURDAY THOUGHTS

I attended a funeral yesterday. This wee, adorable child was standing on a chair, so that he could reach the podium’s microphone. 

There were quite a few non-sight words in the obituary, which he mastered, as if he had advanced degrees in English grammar and composition and Principles of Speech. He was prepared. Someone took time, and helped him practice those three and four syllable words. Because of it, he breezed through the paragraphs in a manner that impressed us all. He wasn’t just calling words. He was communicating.

He’s not an anomaly, though. He’s not the exception. He’s the rule. It was a lesson for the adults in the room. If you’re tasked to read, master those words and names beforehand. Take the job seriously. Stumbling and fumbling and making apologies “if” you’re butchering someone’s name, isn’t funny. Make an effort. Be understood. Care.

It was also proof that children CAN, and do want to learn, can be literate, and that parents and conscientious grandparents are fantastic teachers, too. You don’t have to wait for someone with a degree to point out words and phrases, or unlock strengths and talents. Make flash cards. Read the cereal box at breakfast. Pick up workbooks at the dollar store. Read the street signs. Expose children to literature and they’ll become readers without being forced to do it.

Information is everywhere. There’s a supercomputer—a smartphone—in your hands. Google is free. PBS is free. Libraries are still open. Books still exist. Create a home library if you can.

Ask questions. Read. Be discerning. Fact check (BEFORE you share). Whatever you want to know or learn more about, there’s a legitimate book, video, tape, documentary, expert, or an oral historian willing to elaborate. No one can keep you from learning. Give your child a head start.

No need to wait for a day or a holiday to learn about a thing.

It’s fascinating that anyone would be committed to keeping others—particularly children—ignorant, but that’s often by design. YOU are your child’s FIRST teacher. What you expose your child to, prioritize, require, and promote is critical. Tell the truth. Promote the respect of educational spaces. Support competent, committed educators. Dust off those omitted stories. Fill in the history books’ blank pages. Introduce heroes and pioneers. Representation matters.

Continue learning with, and for the children. They depend on you for answers. If you don’t know, at least help them to know where to look for them. They’ll read if they see you reading. Model the model. 

Yesterday, it was a beautiful sight to see, and encouraging to hear.