The month of February is I love to read month, a month in which we promote reading, and lot's of it. So it may seem like heresy for me to say that during the month of February people should take some time to 'not read'. The idea came from a conversation I had with Karen Smith. In order to promote empathy for and understanding of people who are illiterate, she challenged her students to act as if they couldn't read or write for a week. This accomplished several things. Firstly the students realized the daily struggles of those who cannot read or write. When they saw how much being illiterate would limit them, they appreciated their own literacy more. Many of us don't realize just how much reading and writing we do everyday, even if we don't have time to read novels or write poetry.
Over a million Canadians cannot read and write, and 42% of Canadians have low literacy skills. This is unacceptable. Once students walk a mile in their shoes they will realize that literacy is not just something that's nice to have, they will see that it is a human right. This will start them on the path towards doing something to help.
They say you don't realize how much you love something until it's gone. If that's true, than Don't Read day would be a perfect addition to I Love to Read month.
Over a million Canadians cannot read and write, and 42% of Canadians have low literacy skills. This is unacceptable. Once students walk a mile in their shoes they will realize that literacy is not just something that's nice to have, they will see that it is a human right. This will start them on the path towards doing something to help.
They say you don't realize how much you love something until it's gone. If that's true, than Don't Read day would be a perfect addition to I Love to Read month.