What Literacy Means
What literacy means for me and the impact that has on my life.
For me literacy is very important and has a really strong impact in my life. When I was a kid I remember my father always telling me “the more you know the better it is”. I never really understood what he meant nor did I pay that much attention. I must admit that I was pretty rebellious back in those days, I wanted to be independent, I dropped out college in my freshman year, started partying, binge drinking, to sum it up I just didn’t wanted to listen or take any advice from my parents or the people that cared for me. They saw the mistakes I was making and the destructive path I was heading to, it was like they were foreseeing the future. It wasn’t until I left my country (Dominican Republic) to live in the united states that I understood what they were trying to tell me, out all the advice they gave me I could only remember the say that my father used to tell me. Society has proven time and time again, it will reward those individuals who are competent and impede those who are not, whether expressed in terms of employment opportunities (job success) or just on a social level. One needs look no further than their everyday activities in order to realize how important literacy is. Without adequate literary skills one may not be able to identify on a label the correct amount of medicine to give a child, or read and interpret a sign giving instructions on what to do in case of a fire. These two examples bring perspective to literacy's importance. Nevertheless, recent surveys have indicated that, "4.5 million Canadians, representing 24 percent of the eighteen-and-over group, can be considered illiterate" ("Adult Illiteracy" 5). Illiteracy is truly a problem within Canada. Although many groups are working to render the problem of illiteracy, much work still lies ahead. As our society moves on into the next century literacy is proving vital to economic performance. Without basic literary skills in
For me literacy is very important and has a really strong impact in my life. When I was a kid I remember my father always telling me “the more you know the better it is”. I never really understood what he meant nor did I pay that much attention. I must admit that I was pretty rebellious back in those days, I wanted to be independent, I dropped out college in my freshman year, started partying, binge drinking, to sum it up I just didn’t wanted to listen or take any advice from my parents or the people that cared for me. They saw the mistakes I was making and the destructive path I was heading to, it was like they were foreseeing the future. It wasn’t until I left my country (Dominican Republic) to live in the united states that I understood what they were trying to tell me, out all the advice they gave me I could only remember the say that my father used to tell me. Society has proven time and time again, it will reward those individuals who are competent and impede those who are not, whether expressed in terms of employment opportunities (job success) or just on a social level. One needs look no further than their everyday activities in order to realize how important literacy is. Without adequate literary skills one may not be able to identify on a label the correct amount of medicine to give a child, or read and interpret a sign giving instructions on what to do in case of a fire. These two examples bring perspective to literacy's importance. Nevertheless, recent surveys have indicated that, "4.5 million Canadians, representing 24 percent of the eighteen-and-over group, can be considered illiterate" ("Adult Illiteracy" 5). Illiteracy is truly a problem within Canada. Although many groups are working to render the problem of illiteracy, much work still lies ahead. As our society moves on into the next century literacy is proving vital to economic performance. Without basic literary skills in