Three Little Myths

Interestingly enough, I found these three readings very fun and easy, yet the thoughts they provoked were far from that. The follow up activity of recording the various myths really brought home the point that I myself am at fault for permeating several of these so called “literacy truths”; a fact I now hope to change.
The myths that really struck a chord with me included: ‘Literacy Equates to Moral Development’, ‘Literacy Leads to Better Employment’, and ‘Determination and Effort Equals Literacy’. The reason they resonated so much with me is the fact that I have found myself also preaching them to my students. I grew up listening to them, and thereby believing them. As such I felt compelled and even obligated to dispense them to the next generation of students without really delving into the truthfulness of them.

Of the three myths mentioned above, the second one seems to be the most mainstream. Almost everyone talks about: “stay in school ... you can get a better job, if you do”. The first and second however are much more hidden, especially the first. At first glance, I don’t think many would admit that literacy leads to better morally developed children, yet if you delve deep enough into your subconscious, it does ring somewhat true. A common belief that our society has is that individuals who turned to a life a crime more than likely dropped out of school. The last myth will probably be the hardest one to “falsify” since effort is always equated with success. The problem is that it isn’t always true. How many students do you have in front of you that try and try and still can’t achieve higher than a C grade. Is it because they didn’t try enough? Or is it because we haven’t found a way to reach them?

On a side note, this past week I found myself biting my tongue when I overheard a teacher telling her student that he needed to practice reading so that he can get into college and in turn get a good paying job. Boy oh boy did I want to start a discussion right then and there!!!

Overall, I think what is needed now is a culture change. One whereby we as teachers look at literacy more as a social activity. One where discussion and asking questions are at the centre of our planning. Maybe then we can create new and truthful literacy myths.