The Albuquerque Journal – Howard Romanek
“A phrase spoken by many educators is “empower students to take ownership of learning.” At the same time, complaints that many high school and college graduates are lacking in their ability to read, write and think critically have not abated. There are also debates on the best method to teach reading and on the need to continue to teach cursive writing. However, no true empowerment and no significant improvement of skills will occur until students better understand what is involved in mastering the tool called language. It has been said that language is similar to a map because it helps individuals navigate the world they inhabit. A young child begins to learn words such as dog and blue. It is important to remember that words are only sounds. Saying “blue” is real is like saying that one is actually looking at Albuquerque or Santa Fe on a New Mexico map. According to a major study, a child’s success in school may be determined by the number of words heard at home by age three.”(more)