Literacy

My volunteers and I have been wrestling with the idea of planning curriculum and activities for a classroom full of kids who have a really wide range of abilities. Last week, in my 4th and 5th grade classroom my volunteers had 2 students (English speakers) who couldn't read from the kid's Bible in the classroom (writter supposedly at a 2nd Grade Level). In the same class were 3 students who read regularly from the adult translation of the Bible at home and are testing in the 9th or 10th grade reading level at school. Same grade, remarkable different worlds before them. Literacy will most likely make a difference.

Before Bethany moved to Taj. she was working for the Minnesota Literacy Council. She posted this YouTube video on facebook today and I started to cry watching it. (It may be that I'm missing Bethany a bit this week after talking to her or maybe because I recognize many of the student's faces or maybe because I still really believe in the power of education). This is the power of literacy and education in the lives of children, native English speakers and English Language Learners.

Watch it, be inspired.
(I'm having a hard time copying the code for embedding, so you'll have to click on the link instead either up above or here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-BWlwdQGL4&feature=player_embedded )