Philosophy of Literacy

One thing I will never forget in my Life is the miles I walked to School. I can still remember those muddy and dusty roads I walked just to get to School. Sometimes I have to Stay all day without food and water not just because I wasn’t hungry or thirsty but because my parents had no money to buy them. I did not only walk to school but I did walk without shoes or slippers on. Walking was very normal because we had no cars. There was absolutely no means of transportation. I was just 4 years old when I started walking to School. I had always admired my teachers and all the people who could read and write. I just loved the way they talked to people. I enjoyed listening to them. School to me was a source of Hope that my life will change and it did changed my life. Without me going to school, I would have still been in Africa or may be dead. I was able to get a scholarship from Africa through my school to the United States and here am I living the dreams of my life. So if I can walk about 6 miles on those muddy and dusty roads just to get to school each day, anyone can go to School if they really want to. Defining literacy in our changing world is not easy. Several years ago, being literate meant being able to read and write a little. Now, being literate means being able to read and write at a level to be successful in today's world and also being proficient at math, knowing how to use technology, and knowing how to solve problems and make decisions. To me, the power of literacy lies not only in the ability to read and write, but rather in an individual’s capacity to put those skills to work in shaping the course of his or her own life. There are basically three kinds of literacy I know. The first one is called Functional literacy which refers to the ability to read and write well enough to understand basic written information such as Newspaper headlines, Job application forms and Signs. Functional literacy incorporates reading materials that relate