Adult Literacy Program Deserves Praise, Bergstrom Talks Education

Capitol Considerations 

by Senator Micheal Bergstrom

Last week I was asked to speak to an adult literacy program at the Miami Public Library about my experience as an English teacher and the importance of reading.

I began by pointing out that it was about 20 years ago I went to work teaching English at Bluejacket High School, a job I held until my election to the Senate in 2016.

Here’s what we did in my classroom most every day.

We read. We read aloud. We read plays, short stories, novels, poetry, essays, biographies, historical documents and speeches. We used supplemental materials to assist in understanding what was read. Then my students had writing assignments. Lots of writing assignments on what we read, as well as creative writing and essays.

I assigned no busy work.

We read. Then they tested on what we read, as well as on grammar terms, literary elements and vocabulary. We did this every week.

After a while students began coming back to tell me and other students that my classes had more than prepared them for college.

Naturally, as an English teacher, I wanted my students to do well in the subject area, but even more important to me was my desire for my students to do well in life, and being able to read and write well could make their lives better.

Literacy opens doors to new possibilities and to career advancement. Reading expands your knowledge and learning to read critically helps you to gain wisdom. Research has demonstrated that reading over extended periods helps you to remain focused and concentrate on things better, which is especially important in our media-immersed culture. So, it should be no surprise that people who read are more likely to be civically involved and to vote.

As you master these skills, which are foundational for success in other areas of study, they become the bedrock for a brighter, more successful and more personally fulfilling future.

Programs like the one in Miami are changing people’s lives for the better.

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CUTLINE: Senator Micheal Bergstrom was the speaker at the Miami Public Library Adult Literacy Program's appreciation ceremony for tutors and students on Friday, May 18, 2018.