Thoughts on Literacy

I learned to read at an early age; about four or five. I was an avid reader from that time –which is actually pretty early for boys– and have always been an exceptional reader. Strangely, I had no idea until three or four years ago that there was anything unusual about that.

Now, lest you think I boast, gentle reader, I should point out that I was always quite challenged by mathematics. I didn't care too much for it in first and second grade, and from third grade onward I really struggled with it. I can remember my mother and my school teachers saying in frustration, "You're just not trying!" But I really didn't get it. At the end of my junior year in high school I had to do some fast talking to convince my math teacher to sign me up to take the tenth grade geometry class in my senior year, and they did so with some misgiving I may say. Amusingly, in the first half of that geometry class, surrounded by tenth graders, while the course focused on the abstracts of theorems and such I had a consistent A while all the tenth graders had C's. In the second half, when we switched from abstracts to proving the theorems algebraically, the tenth graders all shot up to A's while I dropped down to a C, despite really trying at it.

My wife and kids could tell you several much more amusing stories about my mathematical ability.

My point is simply that each one has his or her gifts, one in this thing, and another in that, and none of these make the person in question of any greater or lesser value. Which brings me to my point.

Today we received the new 'The Homeschool Minute' e-newsletter from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. This issue focused on teaching boys. It featured a link to a blog entry entitled, "Books that my 13-Year-Old Boy Will Read  . . . Without Being Forced." I only glanced over the article, and have never heard of the books discussed therein, so I do not want to say too much about those particulars. But I have on many occasions heard or read homeschoolers (or public school parents too) say things to the general tune of, "My child is reading these so-and-so books (often of dubious character) but at least they are reading without being made to." The thinking often seems to be that reading is some sort of virtue in and of itself.

Well homeschooling is as homeschooling does, and we ourselves, as stated elsewhere, cringe at the very usage of the term 'homeschool'. The reasons that people homeschool are like the reasons that people go to the store: they can be quite variable and far ranging. And it does certainly seem to be the case that many people in our unusually literate society do consider reading to be a virtue in and of itself.

But I tell you it is not.

Reading is a skill. It is a valuable skill – perhaps even an invaluable skill – but it is merely a skill. The only virtue too be found in reading is in what you do with it. Reading good things is good. Reading bad things is bad. Even if you really enjoy it.

Being one who has read all sorts of stuff just for the enjoyment of it, I assert what should be the obvious: that a considerable amount of writing that is available to us is of highly dubious value at best, and a very large portion of what remains is simply not worth investing your precious time in.

The reading of books (or magazines) is a time consuming thing, and you need to be discerning about what you invest that time in. What you read should be for a purpose, it should be for your edification, and hopefully for the edification of brothers and sisters in Christ. That does not mean that you should only read the Bible, but the Bible should surely get the Lion's Share of your reading time, day in and day out.

In fact, if you haven't read the Bible that day, put that foolish book or magazine away and put the first things first. That goes for your kids too.

Do you know why our nation has such a cultural emphasis on literacy in the first place? So that people can read the scriptures. That's right. The Bible is the very reason why we began teaching our children to read, so that they could know the things of God for themselves.

Yes, there are some other things that are good to know, but the vast, vast majority of what is available for you to read ain't it.

Don't encourage your children to read just anything for the sake of reading, and don't model that idea for them yourself. We Christians should strongly encourage our children, and one another, to read – and to read such things that enhance your relationship to the King or that enhance your life in Him.

And, uh...that goes double for TV. Maybe triple. Or quadruple....