Grammar · Reading · Writing

Happy International Literacy Day!

Herminia Chow

Let me first start off by telling you a story.

I was sitting beside someone. (I won’t name names.) This person (I rather not specify which gender either) was sitting beside me. Interestingly enough, we were writing in class on this particular day. Being a curious writer, I glanced over at their paper. What I saw made me cringe. This person used ‘fell’ when they actually meant to use ‘feel’ and this led to…you can guess how this ends, right?

Never mind. I’ll tell you how it ends. For an hour, I was completely dumbfounded. But after my shock receded, I came home to pen this post even though I already had one scheduled.

By grade 12, shouldn’t you be able to distinguish between the two? Feel. Fell. Fell. Feel. They don’t even sound the same for crying out loud.

Which got me thinking…

Why does 99 percent of the population at my school hate reading?

I mean if everyone read, this ‘fell’ versus ‘feel’ mistake wouldn’t have happened in the first place.

So now I feel like I’m trapped in an island where everybody is privileged enough to have an education but unappreciative enough to be illiterate. Get me out of here.

OK I know I sound like a total jerk, but by 16, 17, 18, one does not simply confuse two words that don’t even sound the same.

On a much happier note, HAPPY INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY!

Someone tell me they plan on reading today. For my sake and sanity.

59 thoughts on “Happy International Literacy Day!”

  2. I plan on reading my work scripts…does that count? LOL. Seriously, I plan on TRYING to read a little of this book I’m reading after work. Happy International Literacy Day! What I don’t understand is how some people can get through life not knowing how to read…

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  3. How about by COLLEGE they should know? I’ve been talking to a classmate of mine who is in the English program like me. He spells liars as “liers” and he was talking about writer’s block… l mean, “writters” block.

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  4. As a retired graduate school educator, I’m glad this generation is sitting up and taking notice. A great tragedy has been remaking our educational systems for decades. I don’t know that there’s an easy culprit here. I do know what the outcome looks like: broken connections between reading comprehension, writing, thinking and speaking skills. Many persons and systems have conspired, knowingly or not. The individual sitting there is the perhaps unknowing recipient now paying the price. My heart aches.
    Elouise

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    1. I care. And I know I’m not the only one in this generation who cares. I just wish more people did too. There are a variety of factors involved. Mhm my mom jokes about how teenagers will grow up not knowing how to communicate effectively with one another. It’s tragic.

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  5. I agree with you on this to a certain extent. Just remember there could be plenty of reasons why this person couldn’t distinguish between the two words. He or she could have great difficulty reading or spelling. There could be a learning disability or something you don’t know about. While we like to wish everyone could be excellent writers, it’s important not to criticize unless we know for sure what’s going on.

    I get what you’re saying though. It can be a bit frustrating to see people misspell easy words.

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    1. I understand that. Believe it or not, I actually went to elementary school with this person. I know for a fact they grew up in Canada and does not have a learning or reading disability. The main culprit really is a lack of reading and writing. Ah, yes I wish.
      I think more should be done to fix this problem.

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      1. Just read one page, and went on the posting on the wordpress. But when I am done with reading, I will post the book review. So check for that… later.
        Best wishes.

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  7. Sometimes when I post my blog posts and comments, I find mistakes and embarrassed by them. At least in my post I can edit, but not in a comment.

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  8. This is something that absolutely floored me when I was a teaching assistant during grad school. It was my job to grade undergraduate papers, and I couldn’t believe how poor their writing, grammar, and spelling was! How did they even get into college like that? Someone did them a disservice in letting them slip through without putting in any extra effort. It could have been a teacher, it could have been a parent wanting ‘the best’ for their kid and boosting their grades by ‘helping’ too much with their homework. Either way, it’s the person, and society, that suffers in the long run.
    I did read some last night, but I’m so tired from work and packing for a move that I can barely keep my eyes open for more than a few pages. 🙂

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  9. It is so sad how illiterate people are becoming… I’ve had people ask me before in a leadership class what an analogy is.
    I think it’s not just because of a lack of reading, but a lack of vocabulary among YA writers, and lack of taste for the good books that have that larger vocabulary.
    I, sadly, was drowning in math and SAT stuff yesterday.
    At most I read 3 – 4 chapters of a Doctor Who novel.

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    1. It is so sad. Oh, an analogy? Really? How do people not know what it is? Yikes.
      I agree with you there. Most people I know don’t read and the ones who do pick books with a reading level fit for a fifth grader. I know about a handful of my peers who have read a classic and enjoy literature for what it is.
      Aw, I hope you manage to get some air soon. 🙂
      I’m impressed. A bit of reading beats not reading any day. 😀

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  10. You think that’s bad, my mum is the Director of Early Childhood here in Australia, meaning she’s teaching teachers how to teach children -_- The lesson coming up includes how to teach people to fill in a form when they can’t read appropriately! This is mandatory! My mum was like wtf?! Now try not to be terrified thinking about future generations :/

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    1. Wow. I mean I’m happy for her and everything, but is that job necessary? Teaching teachers how to teach children…aren’t teachers supposed to be qualified enough to teach without another teacher telling them how to? This is insane, absolute madness. I think I’d get along with her quite well. I’m worried about this generation. 😦

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      1. Haha! Yeah, my mum couldn’t believe it, she came home looking all desolate and I’m like “what’s the matter?” Her two words – “We’re screwed!” 😀 I was like, OMFG, what is wrong with this government?!?!

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      5. Haha, either that or really easy, you know, because we’re never wrong so no research would ever have to be conducted. It would just be these guys are 100% in everything positive and 0% in everything negative. No, hmm, make that minus numbers in anything negative 😀

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      15. OMG?! And you still write as wonderfully as you do, that is amazing!!! Imagine what you’re going to be like when school isn’t munching on your brain as barbarically as it does?

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