Writing on the Wall

[Marisa Jonas ?]

Writing on the Wall explores the literacy crisis unfolding in Canada's classrooms. Complete with shocking statistics of children's literacy skills and the impact on their future, and Canada's, this groundbreaking film follows two high-needs elementary schools as they prepare their submission for an Indigo Love of Reading Foundation grant to rebuild their dying libraries.

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/loveofrea ... index.html

there's a movie at this link that tells you about the school libraries and how they can't afford books for the kids.

Robert Munsch speaks in the video too.

As well as the video there is information on how you can help put more books in Ontario schools and there is more info on this problem.

[sparqui]

skullgirl, you might find this organization interesting too:

http://www.codecan.org/english/index.html

[skdadl]

Hmmmn.

[Mandos]

I don't have a hmm about this one.  If no one objects, I am going to censor "selleys".

[skdadl]

We beat you to it. Early tis morning. Sorry: should have noted that.

[Mandos]

The question is, do you want to keep the ad sitting there?

I guess it's harmless.  I tend to delete or reword spam out of spite though.

[skdadl]

Oh, feel free. I consider you senior to moi. Although not by much.  

I would be more amused by a rewording, I must say.

[Debra]

d'oh I smote it before reading you skdadl

[skdadl]

Oh, well, smiting is good too. We need a little smiting around this place occasionally. Especially when the carnage is cleaned up so quickly that nobody scares the horses. Carry on.

[anne cameron]

We've formed a Literacy Committee in Tahsis, working with a parent group "Literacy Now", and I'll admit I went along to the first meeting because, as a writer, I felt "obligated" to support...well, I am now vice president.  We've got a committment of funding for three years...and before we get a nickel of it I'm close to exhausted.

YEARS ago I did a series of adaptations of FN legends for kids and I tested them on grand children and on kids in a grade 2-3 class at the elementary school in my neighbourhood. (call in the experts, eh?)

So here we are YEARS later, years of LiEbral economics, strife with the teachers, cuts to school funding, you know the scenarios, I'm sure...and I'm in the library, checking out a whack of books and this young woman comes over with a tentative smile..are you..?  Yes, I admit, I am...first thing she wants to know is will I go in and "do" things with her class...then, when we've made our way through that thorn patch, can I suggest any books suitable for grade 4-5-6...and I'm standing there trying to think and the librarian asks Do you have Anne's series of legends and the teacher says Not this year, I had them in my last school but I found the vocabulary was too advanced for grade five and...

and I nearly dropped to the floor.  For one horrible moment I thought I was going to start to cry! (and I refuse to cry!!).  Too advanced for grade five?  I tell those stories to Lilli and she has just turned four years old.  I've read those books to her since she was TWO.

Too advanced for grade five.  Fuck, they were vetted on kids much younger than that a few years ago.

And now of course our lardarsed leader has come out all guns blazing against the elitist artists who are living off the fat of the land (damn, how do I sign on for that!!).

AND IT'S NO ACCIDENT.  It is NO accident!  Dumb us all down to the point we have no idea how to find out what's going on and then what goes on can destroy us completely.