Dear Lakeview Families,
The single most important function of schooling is literacy – the ability to read and write. Here are a few quotes that highlight this:
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” – Frederick Douglass
“Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.” - Kofi Anan
“People don’t realize how a man’s whole life can be changed by one book.” – Malcolm X
These quotes emphasize the importance of being literate. Once a child learns to read, here are a couple more quotes that apply:
“There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book.” – Frank Serafini
“The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” – Mark Twain.
What can families do to support a child’s education? Read! Read together, read separately, assign an older child to read a story to a younger child, read after dinner at the dinner table, read before bedtime. Does it have to be challenging? No! Make it enjoyable. Make it fun. Read comic books, read e-books, read funny stories, read magazines. And then talk about it! Does what we’ve read make sense? Do I agree or disagree? Why? Have kids journal about it or write their thoughts. These are the skills of a literate population.
Our children need to be able to discern fact from fiction, truth from lies, funny from serious. A literate mind is the only way forward. Thank you for partnering with us to teach our kids to read and write. Society depends on it!
Proud to be your principal,
Bob Richards