Literacy Many Americans look for celebrities to be role models. American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino is adored by many fans. However, people began to look at her differently once they found out that she was illiterate. Being literate, knowing how to properly read and write is essential for being successful in today’s society being that our country is technological advanced. Each individual needs to attain literacy in their adolescent stage of life, because reading and writing are valuable skills that are used on a daily basis.
Literacy is needed when reading reports, writing essays, reading emails, reading or writing a text message and writing product warning labels to name a few; being literate assists in the proper development of the mind. However, some people in the United States are not literate nor do they get the chance to become literate in a lifetime. Being illiterate in the United States is becoming a sad compelling phenomenon; a couple of causes, effects and solutions will be explained. Although there are various causes of illiteracy, poverty is a major one.
In some parts of the United States does not have adequate access to materials for reading and writing. Realistically, history has shown that students who have passed the fifth grade often times quit school to help the family financially by beginning to work. A poor family in addition, is focused on the necessities of survival (such as income and food), rather than books to help the mind grow. Maslow’s theory on hierarchy of needs is related to this illiteracy also. Maslow’s theory is based on the basic people needs (such as food, clothes, safety and shelter) are less likely to develop a higher education.
The economic inconstancy can ultimately affect the populations’ literacy rate. Illiteracy has a negative effect on the country’s capability to develop is resources. Other countries with a greater illiteracy rate are likely to have a disadvantage economically. If a multitude of people are not literate, that country or place will not have jobs that are high tech. Contemporary careers in technology, mathematics and science are mainly created in certain countries whose populations are literate. An additional effect of illiteracy is not having adequate means to basic information that are in newspaper, magazines, and books and on the internet.
Having these means of information can improve the quality of life and give advice. Basically, illiteracy does not inspire a positive personal and social change to assist in the development of the culture and the language. Despite it, it still can be defeated. Solutions that is good when trying to solve this problem of illiteracy is to instruct parents on how to read correctly so that they pass down the skills to their offspring. Some ways parents can help their children learn to read and write at an early age is to help the parent write a grocery list, writing letters and reading restaurant menus.
In doing so, more people in a society are not illiterate and the society can begin to develop and further the value of literacy. There are various methods to teaching literacy. One method specially is phonics instruction. Phonics instruction helps with reading because it focuses on reading at a certain level, one word at a time. Synthetic phonics helps a reader to properly pronounce each sound in a word. Many students have problems learning how to read at school, although outside of school do not experience any difficulty maneuvering through the internet and video games.
Most students find reading not to be successful in a school atmosphere because teachers teach it as mastering a code. To conclude, illiteracy has countless causes and effects that are interrelated. Economic changes in many countries have caused literacy rates to increase. As literacy increases it creates a positive economic growth. Previously in history, education was not a requirement but in today’s time, education is a essentiality. Therefore, creative solutions can be enforced to take advantage of the present time in history. Let us help one another.
