Michael Sauers

July 25, 2033

Children are the future. Literacy skills are the keys to self realization, understanding and contributing to the world. Any rational adult understands this. Parents have a responsibility to attend to this as much as they find it possible. The community at large bears the same responsibility whether it be through public libraries, churches/temples/synagogues, clubs, governments, community groups, etc..

Parents are the front line of literacy development. Before a child begins formal education parents must carry the flag of literacy. Talking, singing and listening to babies immediately after birth starts the literacy engine. As appropriate, children need engagement with sharing picture books and more singing/talking. Background knowledge is being developed. As appropriate, children need engagement with art, music and movement. Reading aloud or with children develops a listening vocabulary and more background knowledge. This is a great start.

When formal education begins, whether that be pre-school, daycare, kindergarten or first grade, the above strategies should continue. It is now time to fully master decoding skills. This is a key step to reading, writing and verbal comprehension. Comprehension skills are the keys to understanding an increasingly complex world. Without them a person cannot reach their potential or have a life that is based on understanding the world around them.

As a second grade teacher I employed the following strategy. Never adhere to any one approach. A knowledgeable and discerning teacher knows their students and applies strategies as appropriate. Sometimes that involves phonics. Sometimes that involves whole language. Sometimes that involves sight words. Mostly it involves all of the above and more. Daily small group instruction/feedback (Fountas and Pinnell), exposure to a large library of different genre, a developmental writing/speaking program covering appropriate grammar/language arts skills and ample opportunities for expression are fundamental. This is accomplished through art, music, theater, dance, etc.. All of this continues to build mastery of decoding skills, background knowledge and confidence in comprehension.

All children are different but somewhere between first and fourth grade most children master decoding. It is now time for in depth exposure to a wide variety of literature. I will make this the subject of a future post.

The above approach is based on fully funded public schools. As of this post they are not fully funded (including Pennsylvania) and they are subjected to attacks by religious, charter, and private schools. I support fully and equitably funded public schools. This means training, recruiting, and paying teachers a salary befitting their responsibilities. The minimum salary should be in the 90,000 to 100,000 dollar range. Throw nepotism out the window as these teachers will merit employment only through exhibiting verifiable skills and competence. It also means curriculums that meet the needs of students, are developmentally appropriate and are developed by teachers. Finally, it means a reduction of class sizes to accommodate the above scenario. K-4 should range between 12 to15. 5-8 should range between 18 to 22. 9 -12 should be no larger than 25.

Now, I can hear the wailing. Where is the money going to come from to support this endeavor? On the federal level let’s start with having everyone pay fair taxes. Let’s get rid of all loopholes. Period! Let’s put an end to corporate welfare in all its forms. Period! Let’s end the production of WMD (jobs programs) and simultaneously reduce the military budget. There is enormous fraud/waste in the federal government. Think about medicare billing fraud or unnecessary military expenditures. On the state level let’s have fair taxes and get rid of corporate welfare in all its forms. Let’s make the state house and senate part time. Last year PA lawmakers passed a state tax credit that would give 50 million in annual tax breaks to each company that agrees to produce hydrogen for twenty years. The money is there. The political will is not. The current political priorities are hurting citizens especially children. By the way, the above scenario does exist if you are wealthy/connected/privileged enough to send your children to exclusive private schools. All children deserve the best. After all, they are the future. Do some research. Make it an issue.