Reflections on Literacy, pt. 1

(cross-posted at the Literacy Challenge blog)

"Four out of 10 adult Canadians, age 16 to 65 - representing 9 million Canadians - struggle with low literacy. They fall below level 3 on the prose literacy scale [3 is the minimum skills level suitable for coping with the demands of everyday life and work in a complex, advanced society. It denotes roughly the skill level required for successful secondary school completion and college entry]." - ABC Life Literacy

This February, I'm participating in a Literacy Challenge being put on by the University of Saskatchewan Writing Centre (spear-headed by the amazing and inspiring Liv Marken) and Read Saskatoon. The challenges are part of the Speed Scrabble Tournament for Literacy, for which I volunteered for the past two years. This year, I'm participating at a distance from Montreal, but it doesn't mean I feel any less for the cause; rather, after living in a Francophone city for a few months with limited French language skills, I understand more than ever before the influence of literacy on getting a job, appreciating culture, and even having mental well-being.

The challenges are designed to give participants a glimpse into what it's like to have limited literacy, and prominently include reflection. If you're interested, definitely check out the Literacy Challenge website, or even consider donating to the Speed Scrabble Tournament for Literacy (Facebook | Twitter | Donate). Also, some great posts have already been written and I encourage you to check them out, too!

Now, before I get started, I just wanted to mention that literacy refers to more than just being able to identify letters, or even read and comprehend, for that matter. Financial literacy and numeracy is critical - How much money will you make in a year? How quickly will it take to pay off your debt? What about "new literacy," or how to use computers, how to research and how to understand the information you find online? Literacy is a very broad field; don't assume that an elementary school education with Dick and Jane is sufficient. In fact, literacy is usually measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 3 as " The minimum skills level suitable for coping with the demands of everyday life and work in a complex, advanced society."

Part 1 

The first section of the challenge involved reflecting on privilege - the very privilege that is being taken advantage of in writing these blog reflections and communicating on the Internet. First, we were asked to read the blog post "Literacy Privilege: How I Learned to Check Mine Instead of Making Fun of People’s Grammar on the Internet." Now, I'd read this article before when it was first making the rounds on social media, and I was really influenced by it then, for reasons I'll get into below. If you haven't read it, I emphatically and totally recommend it; it changed how I interact on and think about the Internet and its democratizing and communication potential. If you're worried about adding dense reading to your day, the article opens with "My name is Chandra, and I am a recovering grammar snob" and has cat memes - so why wouldn't you read it?

Secondly, we had to complete the blogger's literacy privilege checklist. I can do all the things on this list; however, reading through the items, I was reminded at how much I take literacy for granted. I've highlighted the ones that were particularly striking and left me feeling distinctly uncomfortable (and even guilty?), but I recommend taking a look at all the options and thinking about your own privilege.

Literacy Privilege Checklist:

• I can easily and safely navigate my way around the city I live in because I understand all of the posted signs, warnings and notifications.
• I can make healthy and informed choices about the products I purchase because I can accurately read their labels and price tags.
• I can safely use pharmaceuticals prescribed to me without having to remember the doctor’s or pharmacist’s instructions because I can accurately read their labels.
• When required to visit doctors, hospitals, government agencies, banks, or legal offices, I do not have to invent excuses to bring paperwork home so that someone else can read it to me. If I live alone, I do not have to expose myself to judgement and ridicule by asking the doctor, nurse, agent, clerk, lawyer or other employee to read it to me.
• I can independently make informed medical, legal, political and financial decisions about myself and my family because I can read and understand important documents.
• I can be sure that my paycheques and bills are accurate because I can read them to check for errors.
• I can acquire a driver’s license and its associated freedoms because I am able to complete the written test for a learner’s permit.
• I can accept invitations to a restaurant without anxiety because I know I will be able to read the menu.
• I can accept invitations to weddings, showers and other special events without anxiety because I know I will be able to write a legible card for my hosts.
• I can be informed about important events and news in my community, state/province and nation because I can read the local and national newspapers.
• I can make my voice heard on important topics in my community by writing a letter to the editor of my local newspaper.
• I can influence policy decisions that affect me by writing letters and e-mails to my elected officials.
• I can help my children with their homework. I can read letters and flyers sent home by my children’s teachers and school administrators.
• I can attend parent-teacher interviews without fearing that my literacy level will be exposed to teachers or other parents.
• People do not make inaccurate negative judgements about my intelligence, competence and work ethic based on my reading and writing abilities. (I've done this in the past; in part, it is what I'm trained to do by academia. Ouch.)
• My freedom to explore career options that interest me is not limited by my literacy level.
• I have never had to turn down an offer of job promotion because I was afraid the literacy demands would be too high.
• I can work safely and effectively at my job because I understand all of the posted signs, warnings and notifications.
• I can improve my employability and socioeconomic standing by enrolling in certification courses or postsecondary programs that require strong literacy skills.
• I can explore ideas I’m interested in by reading articles and books about them.
• I can keep personal records of ideas, dreams, thoughts, and important events in my life without needing to rely on my memory, by keeping a journal.
• I can stay in contact with loved ones who live far away through letters and e-mails.

Part 2

Reflect on one of a number of literacy statistics, all of which can be seen here.

Canadians who drop out of high school can expect to earn at least $3,000 less per year than those who have graduated from high school. In Saskatoon, 20% of our adult population does not have a high school diploma (Canadian Council on Learning, 2010).

The striking number for me isn't that those who drop out make less money; rather, it's that in Saskatoon, an urban centre boasting the major university of the province, several tech schools, and other post-secondary education institutions, 1 out of 5 people do not have a high school diploma. In a rural setting like where I grew up, I would be less surprised; many people quit as soon as possible to work in various economies surrounding agriculture, and even during my parents' generations it wasn't that odd to not complete high school.

I don't even know how one goes about getting a job, or what kind of jobs are available, to those without a high school diploma, beyond hearing how difficult it is/was for a cousin to find a job. Any form of higher education, including trades are inaccessible, and even a lot of service positions (A&W, etc) require completion of high school now.

I'm sure some of this statistic may be elderly or otherwise out of the working pool (even though literacy is crucial for participating in culture and community), but I can't help but think more of those within the first few decades of life and worry that they're already handicapped in the races; they're not only pushed back behind the start line, but they might not be able to read the signs of where to turn or have the access card to get on the on-ramp.

(I'll post links to the other posts of my reflections when I write them.)