Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j8R6t5G17197; Tue, 27 Sep 2005 02:55:05 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 02:55:05 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <20050927065341.55470.qmail@web30811.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Ujwala Samant <lalumineuse@yahoo.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:1558] Re: race and literacy X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Status: O Content-Length: 2811 Lines: 73 Dear Danielle, Thank you for saying what you did. I think literacy has always been valued by all socioeconomic groups, across the world. I think if we as educators continue to perpetuate this myth, we are doing those we serve a disservice. In fact in my recent experiences in helping set up educational programmes, th ealmighty diploma has devalued artisanal skills. There is truth in the fact that children who come from homes where parents/families are not literate/educated, are likely to have less help with their schooling; as will those from poorer backgrounds. Accessing education and finding "relevant" education, now those are issues that I feel are not always addressed. Regards, Ujwala Samant --- Danielle S Shareef <dshareef1@student.gsu.edu> wrote: > There is some truth to this, but don't make the > assumption that just because a student comes from a > low-income household and urban area, that > literacy/education isn't valued in the home. (Those > same implications exist in rural areas as well). I > was born to a 20 year old mother who had to drop out > of college to take care of me and herself. My > father didn't complete his B.A degree until he was > well in his thirties. We were a low-income, > sometimes single parent household, yet my 2 siblings > and I are college graduates, with 2 of us having > graduate degrees; of those 2, one of us is pursuing > doctoral studies. > > My mother came from a household in which her mother > only had a sixth-grade education, and none of my > mother's seven siblings are college-educated, though > many are successful & property owners. Still, their > mother valued education and literacy. I think for > some of my relatives and maybe other people in > general, there has to be a desire to improve > yourself, even if it means temporarily working with > whatever means you have, even if they are not the > best. It is not beneficial to rely on what one does > not have access to as an excuse for not trying to > learn or take advantage of what is given in some > urban environments (This does not include those with > no access to resources for learning disabilities or > deficiencies). Many indigenous people and > low-income communities have made history by > succeeding despite the disadvantages they faced. > > I know that I have been blessed with opportunities & > resources that many do not have access to. I also > believe collaboration between the haves and have > nots is essential to combating the cycle of > illiteracy. This can only take place if we are > honest about issues of race and poverty on a > national and global level. > > Danielle Shareef > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
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