True Literacy Confession: I Skip Text and Never Look Back

Image courtesy of sattva / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Currently, I'm reading All the Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know About Getting and Spending by Laura Vanderkam. This the second book I've read by Vanderkam. Earlier this year, I read her book about time management, 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think. You can read that post here, on my other blog My Ideal Reality.

I enjoy Vanderkam's books because they challenge me in a couple of ways. First, she introduces fresh perspectives on common topics, and that puts my brain into overdrive. Second, while her books are pretty much "just right" for my reading level, on occasion my literacy comprehension skills are put to the test, especially when percentages, statistics and other numerical data fill the pages. My brain stops working. I envision it grinding to a halt.


Here comes the true confession part of this blog ...

Instead of staying the course and figuring out those numbers and what they mean to me, I skipped those parts. No big deal, right? Maybe. But here's the shocking part: I never looked back. We tell our students and our children that it's ok to skip confusing words or information and continue reading as long as they go back and fix their thinking. Yeah, well, I didn't fix my thinking. I just plowed on through. (hangs head in shame)

Granted, I'm a proficient reader and I know that if I really need to understand that information I can - and will - go back and work through it. I have that self-discipline.

But here's the thing: young readers and striving readers don't have that self-discipline. They skip and never look back. My question to you is, "How do we instill literacy discipline in them?"

I'd love to hear your thoughts as well as any true confessions about literacy-related sins you may have committed.

Thanks for reading! It keeps your ... Mind Full of Literacy!

 

Financial Literacy Means Living Within Your Means

Love me some financial advice from The Simple Dollar! If you  need a quick and easy way to shore up your financial literacy skills, Trent is the way to go.

70/30: Is Teaching Fiction Losing the Common Core Battle?

Image from Melissa Dority at http://questgarden.com/124/88/0/110420172559/index.htm 

In an earlier post, I wrote about a study that found that only 43% of 2012 graduates who took the SAT had the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in college. That’s disturbing, considering that organizations today are looking for people who are creative and innovative thinkers and initiators. Apparently, the creators of the Common Core Standards find these and similar statistics concerning because they took action. To date, 45 states have adopted these new standards, which were designed reflect the knowledge students need to have a productive college life and/or career path.

The Kansas City Star ran an article recently about the possible effects that implementation of the Common Core Standards could have on the teaching of literature. The new standards recommend that non-fiction/informational text should make up 70% of what high school students read and write about. The school of thought is that beefing up non-fiction reading and writing will better prepare students for college.

High school literature teachers are reeling from the new standards, and rightly so. The change will require them to approach their content area in a whole new way. While some teachers view the standards as a mandate to reduce the amount of fiction students read, others view it as an opportunity to supplement the fiction with informational text. As usual, the new standards encourage educators and administrators to see the change as a school-wide responsibility.  

I have mixed feelings about this topic. I loved my English and Literature classes in high school, and I was inspired by the passion that ignited my teachers to share everything they could about authors and their stories. That inspiration and their passion led me to earn a B.A. in English. As an educator, I know how exciting it is when a struggling reader falls in love with a book. More often than not, the books they love are works of fiction. And I know that the skills needed to access informational text – analyzing, evaluating, knowledge of theme and genre to name just a few – are taught when we dig beneath the surface of works of literature.

But at the same time, I know that the transfer of knowledge isn’t there. I know that most jobs require a person to read and comprehend informational texts. In fact, my English degree led me straight into a job proofreading technical documents at an engineering firm. As an educator, I fully support teaching across the curriculum.  Encouraging English teachers to focus more on informational texts doesn’t have to mean shelving their beloved classics. In fact, it should mean just the opposite. This is the perfect opportunity for teachers to reach across the hallway and collaborate with their colleagues. If a class is reading F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, why not work with the history and/or economics teachers to find appropriate non-fiction texts about The Roaring 20s? Or, if a class is studying Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars, team up with the Social Studies teacher to read true accounts of the Holocaust. Take this opportunity to boost students’ literacy skills culturally, historically, financially and politically. Help students make these critical connections and analyze and evaluate their importance to their world.

Transitioning from the current state standards to the Common Core won’t be easy. Secondary-level teachers typically teach in isolation. Intense collaboration is scary, and, it’s been my experience that most content-area teachers don’t see it as their job to help students improve their reading and writing skills. It won’t be easy because some people just don’t like change. But my gut tells me that the Common Core standards aren’t going to fade away, at least not anytime soon. My hope is that teachers, administrators, and schools can all find a way to introduce students to the adventures and ideas that both fiction and non-fiction texts have to offer.

Got My Mind On My Money ... Part DUH

I just got back from meeting with a financial advisor. (See back story here.). You will never know how many times I tried to back out. I was the Queen of Excuses. But I did it, and I survived.

It went well. My retirement plan is a little more streamlined, and my funds are allocated more appropriately. Apparently, my age has bumped my risk-tolerance level from Aggressive Investor to Moderate Investor. That feels a little strange to me.

The rep I met with was very nice. And very young. I think he might have been about 15 years old. His business card shouts "Senior Investment Specialist." I couldn't help but think, "Senior in what? High school?" Ugly, I know. I was his age when I started investing with his firm. You know, the age where 40 seems old? Now, I'm 41. So, to him, I'm sure I looked like a muddled old lady trying to figure out her finances. I could tell he was uncomfortable asking age-related questions. He got especially flustered when he had to ask how long I expected to live after I retired. (Forever, baby!)  It was somewhat humorous watching him squirm and stutter. Did I mentioned he looked like a Ken doll? But, that's beside the point.

So awkward moments aside, today was a learning day for me. I discovered that my husband and I need to sit down and talk more about our retirement plans. I also learned that I am not as financially literate about the investment world as I would like to be. Lastly, I learned that a lot of our fear and lack of literacy in certain areas is due to a communication barrier. My financial advisor spoke quickly and tossed around industry jargon that reverberated in my ears like a foreign language. I felt uncomfortable and at a disadvantage. I let it keep  me from asking all of my questions and understanding all of the answers to questions I did ask. It got me thinking about how I communicate with people, especially young people. Perhaps their lack of understanding and learning has to do with how I presented information.

The bottom line is that I'm glad I went. I consider it time well spent because I stepped out of my comfort zone and grabbed an opportunity to educate myself about something important to me.

Thanks for reading ... it keeps your Mind Full of Literacy!

Got My Mind On My Money and My Money On My Mind

Talking about money is scary, isn't it? It makes me truly squirmy and sweaty. But understanding what you have, what you want, and how to get there has to trump your fear.

Among all of the life skills people need to have, I rank financial literacy near the top of the list. Understanding money is just so essential to a secure future. Recognizing Uncle Sam's pseudonym is FICA when you get a paycheck, balancing a checkbook, and stashing dollars into a savings account just cover the basics of financial literacy. The real fun lies in understanding the impact of pre-tax contributions, deciphering the foreign language of retirement fund prospectuses (prospecti?), and comprehending the terms of a mortgage loan. And I hope you picked up the dripping sarcasm when I wrote, The real fun ...

The good news is that there are a crazy number of resources available to help us strengthen our financial literacy. The other day I decided to take advantage of one of those resources. With trembling fingers, I dialed the number for my financial advisor and scheduled an appointment to talk face-to-face with someone about my (gulp) money. Specifically, my retirement money. I've avoided this move for almost a decade (truly), and it's time I figure out what I have and what I want in terms of my financial future. I'm kind of excited and very proud of myself for taking this step toward beefing up my financial literacy skills.

If you are looking for info on financial literacy, these resources  might be helpful.

The Simple Dollar (one of my favorite blogs)

Financial Literacy Now

MyMoney.gov

Jump$tart - Financial Smarts for Students

Thanks for reading ... it keeps your Mind Full of Literacy!