Newsletter Articles
Dear Friends and Family,Let me tell you about a mental rabbit hole I’ve recently gone down. I read a book called, “Sheltering from the Machine,” by Jason G. Strange. It is a great read, well written and highly researched (if you like sociological studies).
There was a lot to learn from this book but one thing that struck me is this: A comparison was made between two homes in the same neighborhood. One home is affluent with all the advantages, the other is impoverished and struggling to meet daily needs. There are many factors at play that contribute to the differences but clearly children living in the more affluent home have built in advantages over children whose needs are many. But here’s the thing: If the children living in poverty are read to at an early age, encouraged to read and interact with parents about their reading, they will learn to think critically and their chances of escaping poverty are multiplied. This is especially true if the children see their parents reading and there is a home library. Likewise, if the more affluent children are not early readers, if there are no books in their home, their chances of being successful, productive members of society are greatly diminished despite the advantages. Reading, it seems, is the great equalizer between the haves and the have nots. This one thought has consumed me for weeks.
There was a lot to learn from this book but one thing that struck me is this: A comparison was made between two homes in the same neighborhood. One home is affluent with all the advantages, the other is impoverished and struggling to meet daily needs. There are many factors at play that contribute to the differences but clearly children living in the more affluent home have built in advantages over children whose needs are many. But here’s the thing: If the children living in poverty are read to at an early age, encouraged to read and interact with parents about their reading, they will learn to think critically and their chances of escaping poverty are multiplied. This is especially true if the children see their parents reading and there is a home library. Likewise, if the more affluent children are not early readers, if there are no books in their home, their chances of being successful, productive members of society are greatly diminished despite the advantages. Reading, it seems, is the great equalizer between the haves and the have nots. This one thought has consumed me for weeks.