A recent report titled "A Call For Change" from the Council of the Great City Schools cited that 12% of 4th grade black boys are proficient in reading compared to 38% of white boys. The New York Time reported the study in a November 9, 2010 article. The article stated that poverty was not the sole reason for the low rate of reading proficiency for black boys. The study found that early childhood parenting practices such as encouraging reading, how we talk to children, and how we encourage them to think and develop a sense of autonomy were key factors.
The statistic is startling: 12% proficiency in reading. That means 88% of black boys are not proficient in reading. This should be a call to action. We must encourage reading, writing, grammer and oral communication skills for both black boys and girls at an early age. We must abandon the ridiculous notion that reading, speaking grammatically correct English and getting good grades equates to "acting white."
I learned to read at an early age thanks to my older sister who read to me every night at bedtime. I also grew up down the street from a public library where I spent many afternoons checking out books to take home to read. I have a niece who loves to read and we encourage her with gift cards to Barnes&Noble so she can buy books. I have a nephew who does not like to read; instead he loves video games. I still encourage him to read by buying him books to spark his interest.
March 2 was "Read Across America Day" sponsored by the National Education Association. The annual event is an effort to get children to read. Instead of celebrating reading nationwide only one day, or leaving it to the schools to teach our children to read, we as a community must get involved to raise that 12% proficiency rate for black boys.
I can still recall my favorite childhood books: Tiny Toosey's Birthday by Mabel G. LaRue; Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson; Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel; Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak; and The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. I also loved the entire Little House on the Prairie series.
Let's get involved and encourage black children to read, particularly black boys. Volunteer to read at a school; take a child to the public library; or give books as gifts. However the best example is to read: children usually mirror the behavior of adults.
Instead of Read Across America Day, let's make this Read Across America Year! Let me hear your thoughts and also post your favorite books from your childhood.
Happy Reading,
Tina
Hi Tina,
ReplyDeleteGreat article! I agree with your thoughts about reading. I too was an early reader and thankfully so are my children. The schools they attend require them to read 25 books per year as part of each Language Arts class. My son actually outreads everyone in the family!
I think the love of reading has to be ignited. I think it can start at any age but the earlier the better. Funny thing, I grew up around books in my house and my parents were readers. But I also remember in elementary school we had library time, and I noticed that while other kids were goofing-off, one girl sat quitely in a corner and actually read. One day I asked her what she was reading and she quietly slipped me one of her extra books,entitled, Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly (1942); I was hooked on reading ever since. In fact, to kind of spur my daughter along, I told her about my reading journey and gave her "Seventeenth Summer" which she loved;it kicked her into another level of loving to read.
Wonderful article, Tina!
ReplyDeleteChildren are products of their environment, and we need to be exemplary examples to them in every facet of life.
We grew up in the same neighborhood and the library you mentioned was the one I would sneak into after hours through an open window (that would be called breaking and entering to law enforcement). If breaking into a library was the extent of my juvenile deliquency, I'll take it!
I not only read all my favorite childhood books to my daughter when she was a child, but gave her reference information about the authors, morals of the stories, etc. For example, my favorite children's book author is Ezra Jack Keats (The Snowy Day, Whistle for Willie, Goggles, Peter's Chair, and Hi, Cat were my favorites and now my daughter's) and he was a Polish-American who was the first picture-book author to prominently feature a Black child as the central character in a children's book. And, his collage-style of illustration in The Snowy Day won him the highest of honors in picture book illustration - the Caldecott Medal. I now have his book illustrations framed in my writing studio.
There's nothing more rewarding than cuddling up with your child to read a book!
Timi