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Celebrating the Caregivers

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It’s National Family Literacy Month and we’re celebrating the caregivers. A child’s “important adults” are crucial to whether they develop a love of learning and reading, cultivate their curiosity, and feel safe enough to learn and progress in school. 

Important adults can be almost anyone! Most often it’s parents, but grandparents, aunties, uncles, older siblings, cousins, godparents, trusted neighbors, and many more, can also fit this role. A love of reading instilled early can last a lifetime and has benefits far beyond the family – and any one of us can help do this for a child.

So how can you celebrate and promote family literacy? Find some ideas below.

1. Make books easy to access.

Start a tradition of gifting books to children in your life every November – and maybe more often! Donate gently used and outgrown books to a Little Free Library near you; support a book drive in your local community (or even start one!); see if a family you love is eligible for free books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library or Read Conmigo.

2. Prioritize and model reading.

If you have young children in your close family, set aside regular time for reading aloud with them. If you’re not a parent, see if this could become a cherished tradition for young nieces, nephews, cousins, or family friends – maybe you could establish a regular time to read to kids in your family and give their regular caregivers a break!

And make sure kids see you reading – books, not your phone…

3. Make reading special.

Do you have space to create a book nook? Even a small corner can be dressed up with a beanbag chair, a fluffy rug, and a small shelf. Maybe add a lamp or a string of lights to make it cozy and fun!

Set aside time for reading aloud – even if you only have a short amount of time – and when kids are old enough, set aside time for quiet reading on their own in a comfy space.

4. Make regular visits to your local library.

Find your local library and visit it OFTEN! Libraries have so much more than books (though of course the books are amazing) – many have reading kits, with toys and crafts that accompany books, and most have fabulous activity calendars. 

“When I got my library card, that was when my life began.”
Rita Mae Brown
Author

However you choose to do it, may November be a month of reading celebration for you and your family!

More resources:

Tips and resources for family literacy from the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation

Resources for caregivers in Spanish

Calendar: 30 Days of Learning Together from the National Center for Families Learning

Resources for families from Reading Partners

Free resources from the National Center for Families Learning

Parent and community resources from Raising Readers

Resources for caregivers from Reading Rockets

Dial A Story – stories in 16 languages from Toronto Public Library

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  • Regional symposia
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Literacy TRANSFORMS

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So often – including right here on this website – we talk about adult and family literacy in terms of deficit.

“Adults without a high school diploma struggle to find employment.”

“The 43% of Americans who read at or below basic level are more likely to live in poverty.”

“Families where the caregivers are at or below the basic level of literacy are less likely to be able to help children with homework, and perpetuate the cycle of low literacy.”

Literacy Transforms Texas white text on yellow

“Low-literate adults are more likely to have health issues, less likely to eat nutritious food, and more likely to be incarcerated.”

All of the above are true, but none of this focuses on the possibilities. Just think of Texas – of America – of the world – if everyone was fully literate.

More people in high-paying jobs, with more money both for necessities and as disposable wealth to spend in their local communities.

Kids lifted out of poverty and families on their way to creating generational wealth and ongoing prosperity.

Higher self-esteem for millions of people, and shame around learning left behind.

Improved critical thinking and analytical skills, applied from everything to workplace problem-solving to science literacy to mortgage choices.

Expanded vocabulary and conversational skills.

Imagine living in a society where ALL your neighbors could flourish. It would be a society with less crime, greater health, more life satisfaction, more volunteerism. ALL of these things are linked to literacy and all of them are achievable.

Throughout September, we’re focusing on what’s possible when we prioritize literacy. Please join us! You can:

Further reading on this topic, and the sources of some of the info above:

Why We Should Invest in Getting More Kids to Read – And How to Do It

5 Reasons Reading is So Important for Student Success

The Importance of Adult Literacy

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  • Conference updates
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“Transforming literacy learning spaces”

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Get ready to celebrate all things LITERACY throughout September!

International Literacy Day is celebrated every year on September 8.
Adult Education and Family Literacy Week is September 18 – 24.
And in the US, we just go ahead and celebrate the whole month as National Literacy Month.

In 2022, the theme of International Literacy Day is “Transforming literacy learning spaces.”

This year’s choice of theme is an invitation to rethink the fundamental importance of literacy learning spaces to build resilience, and to ensure quality, equitable, and inclusive education for all.

What are your learning spaces?

You might think first of traditional locations – schools, colleges, classrooms. But look again. You might also see – 

Your living room at home, where you read aloud to your children. Your grandma’s kitchen, where she shows you how to follow a recipe. Your father’s garden, checking seed packets to see how much sun and water each one needs. On the city bus, playing “I Spy” with signs and advertisements.

Almost anywhere can be a literacy learning space. When we see them that way, almost anything is possible.

international literacy day poster 2022
Click on the image above to download your own International Literacy Day poster from the UNESCO website.

Resources for Literacy Month

However you want to get involved this month, there are resources to support you.

Literacy means -

For something quick and easy, print off our “Literacy means – ” graphics (below, or in our July blog post) and use them on your social media or website. If you were at the recent conference, we printed one inside the cover of your program, so you can go find that one and save yourself the printing!

Maybe you can laminate the page, or put it inside a wipe-off pouch – and then you can write in the space using a whiteboard marker, and use the image over and over for different people.

Resources & Toolkits

And there are toolkits and other resources all over the place! Use the buttons below to see what literacy partners and advocates across the country have prepared for you.

2022 aefl week toolkit from proliteracy
2022 aefl week events & resources from coabe
general advocacy toolkit from proliteracy
advocacy resources from the american library association

Use these hashtags when you post on social media this month:

#Literacy22
#AEFLWeek
#AdultEd
#AdultLiteracy
#FamLit
#FamilyLiteracy
#LiteracyTransformsTX

Have a great September!

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Make sure you’re on our mailing list so you don’t miss any news:

  • Conference updates
  • Regional symposia
  • Online training
  • Advocacy 
  • …more!

Literacy means –

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It’s still July, but we’re looking ahead to September.

Why?

September has multiple opportunities to celebrate all things literacy. It’s National Literacy Month, just for starters, and on September 8 we celebrate International Literacy Day.

And then there’s AEFL Week! Adult Education and Family Literacy Week raises public awareness about both the need for, and value of, adult education and family literacy. Its goal is to increase support for basic education programs for US adults with low literacy, numeracy, and digital skills.

Advocates across the country (that’s all of us!) can use this opportunity to shine a bright, bold spotlight on the benefits of adult education and family literacy, the obstacles to access, and the great work your local programs are doing with adults and families.

And in some great news, a lot of the preparation work has already been done for you:

Find details about actions, events, messaging, and more, on this dedicated AEFL Week page from COABE (the Coalition on Adult Basic Education).

Use this toolkit from ProLiteracy to get prepared with what you want to say and do for literacy in your local community this September.

And keep it local, too! Refresh your mind on Texas literacy facts and stats, download any of the graphics below to use on your social media, and stay tuned for more ideas and suggestions for messaging about literacy in Texas.

Happy birthday – to us!

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April 24, 1989

1989!
Do you remember your 1989 hairstyle? The car you were driving?
Perhaps it was your prom year. Or your first year of Little League.
Perhaps you were a baby – or not even born.

33 years ago today, Texas Adult Literacy Laubach officially came into being – the organization now known as Literacy Texas. A small group of dedicated volunteers in Travis County decided that literacy in Texas needed more attention – and the rest is history.

For a little time travel back to the 1980s, look directly below this letter.

But in the meantime, the best possible birthday present you could give us is –
– more of the same.

Keep doing what you’re doing.
Keep shining that literacy light in your part of Texas.
Keep caring for your neighbors through classes and conversation.
Keep going.

And invite others! The more people on board, the more we can do together. So share this message; invite someone to the annual conference; tweet at us. Keep raising your voice for literacy. You make so much possible, and we are overwhelmingly grateful.

Here’s to the next 33 years!


Steve Banta
Executive Director
Literacy Texas

Ready to travel back in time?

thumbnail 1989 video

Volunteer tutor-learner pair Josephine Weatherford and Geraldine Thompson meet in the Dallas Library for reading classes. In this video from October 1989, they talk about why the classes are important to them.

Click on the picture above to see the video (1 min 45 seconds).

SOURCE: KXAS-TV (Television station : Fort Worth, Tex.). [News Clip: Portrait J. Weatherford], video, October 14, 1989; Fort Worth, Texas. (texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc904976/: accessed April 22, 2022), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections

literacy volunteers newsletter c. 1988

Special issue of a weekly newsletter (c. 1988) published for employees of the Fort Worth Division of General Dynamics describing volunteer adult literacy tutors in the Fort Worth area.

Click on the picture above to see the whole newsletter.

SOURCE: General Dynamics Corporation. Fort Worth Division. GDFW This Week, Special Issue, periodical, 1988~; Fort Worth, Texas. (texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1092008/: accessed April 22, 2022), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth.

Literacy for Joy

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This coming Saturday (February 26, 2022), close to 100 authors, educators, volunteers, and others dedicated to literacy and learning will gather for the first regional symposium of the year – the South Texas Literacy Symposium. 

South Texas usually kicks off our calendar of symposiums, and this year there’s extra delight and anticipation, since the event is back to being in person, and literacy folks from Edinburg, the RGV, and nearby will see each other – some for the first time in a while.

There’s always some added zing to the South Texas symposium, too, because it’s part of FESTIBA – the UTRGV Festival of International Books and Arts. The theme of Festiba in 2022? Inspiring Creativity & Innovation Through Arts and Literacy.

Stop for a moment there. Look at those words in italics. Read them over again. 

Inspiring Creativity & Innovation Through Arts and Literacy.

Literacy is many things. It’s the passport to a better life, through further education and a good job. It’s a way to traverse life with confidence and understanding. For some, it’s a pathway to a brighter future beyond incarceration.

But let’s never forget that literacy is also for joy. It’s for inspiration. It’s for creativity. It’s for innovation. It’s for art.

When we sit alongside adult students and their families as they learn, we’re helping bring joy into their lives. Because whatever else it’s for, literacy makes possible a richness in life that can’t be replaced. And not only is that important – it might actually be one of the most important things.

Interested in joining us at the South Texas Literacy Symposium? Registration closes at the end of the day on February 23. Reading this later and missed out? See our full calendar of 2022 symposiums here and maybe catch another later in the year!

Celebrating Black History Month in the ESL Classroom

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Guest blog post by Taynim Johnson – ESL Associate and Editor, Literacy ConneXus

It’s February 4th, and here in the wonderful US of A that means that it’s Black History Month. This means it’s the perfect time to add a little history to our lessons. In addition to being an extremely important part of US history that every American should be educated on, African American history is also important for our students to know about.

African American history gives students insight into the history of our country, helps them learn about the people who helped shape their new home, and is also an important part of the civics and naturalization test that many of our students have their sights set on passing.

But we don’t teach history classes; we teach English. So, how do we work Black History Month into our ESL classes?

Check out these great sites and pick an activity to suit your fancy!

Learn English by the British Council has a great activity for Black History Month. It includes a preparation task with vocabulary, readings over the origins of Black History Month in the US and in the UK, events in current Black history, Black history year round, two activities, and a discussion.

We Are Teachers compiled a list of 42 Black History Month activities for February (and Beyond). Their activity list includes gems such as: Virtually visiting the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York; learning about the first black president in the United States: Barack Obama; watching videos about Black history; and listening to podcasts about Black history. 

CAELA, or the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition, has also compiled a great list of ESL Activities for African-American History Month. They’ve even separated their activities into beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. Their activities include tasks such as bingo, pair dictation, and poetry discussions. 

ELCivics.com has a great list of activities with famous African Americans in history where students can learn about the historical figures, take a civics quiz for comprehension gauging, and complete short tasks like crossword puzzles.

Of course, there are many other activities one could do. How do you incorporate Black History month into your ESL classes?

As always, blessings and happy teaching!

Originally posted on the Literacy ConneXus blog, February 4, 2022; reposted here with permission.

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