Teacher Twitter Thread
Recently, a judge in Detroit ruled that access to literacy is not a constitutional right. In this discussion, you will synthesize the information from Chapter 1 of your textbook and the Scholastic Reads podcast by considering whether you agree or disagree that reading is a civil right. You will share your point of view as if it were a Tweet. Twitter is a growing and influential channel for communicating, connecting, and building a professional network. Twitter and other social media platforms can be used to advocate, educate, inform, and influence public opinion. Teachers can create a professional digital presence on social media to share their point of view and interact with diverse groups. Social media also can be an effective platform to relay messages to students’ families and the wider community.
- Review Teaching Children to Read: The Teacher Makes the Difference, Chapter 1: Effective Reading Instruction, and the Scholastic Reads podcast, Phyllis Hunter: Reading Is a Civil Right.
- In your initial post, state and defend your position on whether reading is a civil right as if it were a Tweet, limiting your response to the original 140 characters allowed by Twitter. Please feel free to add tags, links, or media. Respond to the assignment prompt in the Reply box below.
- Respond to at least one of your peers with a reply of no more than 140 characters. You may constructively challenge positions you disagree with or provide additional support for posts with which you agree. As always, your replies should be thoughtful and contribute meaningfully to the discussion.
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Reading=civil right 4 every child, every classroom. Adults must read contracts, job descrips, fine print etc! #key2equality @phyllischunter
I agree! Reading is a lifelong skill set and is necessary to participate in and transform our society!
Yes, reading is essential in all forms of communication! Additionally in a world that relies on technology and virtual social settings!
Good point about our reliance on technology and that literacy is now necessary for social interactions as well. I hadn’t considered that. It’s a big change from prior generations.
Literacy is the way to overcome oppression. Therefore, reading is important for every student, ESPECIALLY those in marginalized groups.
Yes!!! When kids can’t develop early literacy skills (and appreciation!) bc of inaccessibility, it makes future learning so much harder.
Agreed! Being denied the opportunity to learn such a crucial skill is #oppressive!
This reminds me of Freire’s educational theory!
I also agree with you! I think reading will give people the opportunity to overcome any situation they are facing in life.
I couldn’t agree more! There’s a reason that African American slaves were prohibited from reading and writing – reading is steroids for the mind.
Great thread!
I completely agree with you! Education is the great equalizer and reading is the foundation for every subject
Reading is required for communication/acquiring new information, so denying that life skill is undoubtedly a violation of one’s civil rights.
By thinking of lit. as a privilege, we literally set kids up for failure throughout the rest of their lives. Why would we want to do that??
Literacy cannot be seen as a privilege, it needs to be understood as an *accessible* civil right – at home & at school. If we can’t read, we can’t succeed.
Agreed, it is impossible to find a job anywhere that does not involve reading
This puts a heavy responsibility on us as teachers, doesn’t it?
Every child has the #right2read It is vital to surviving in the 21st century. We cannot deny that to anyone regardless of background!
Inequity in education funding must be addressed as well.
It is almost impossible to live in this world without being to read. Not only is it required for virtually any job today, but can also be a huge health and safety hazard. Reading is a civil right for all!
Agree! Reading is necessary for everything in life, it is a necessary skill. We need to be able to read and get knowledge from reading. Reading also helps with cognitive development, which is the development of the human brain.
@ac0778a and provides experiences with the world without leaving home!
Good point — one could probably make a case for illiteracy as a public health issue.
Reading is essential for every life situation. Even though we are living in a world full of technology and other resources that do not necessarily require reading. People should always have that skill. No matter how advanced technology is, people, should always read because it helps with cognitive skills, it lowers the chances of suffering from anxiety and it also increases the imagination in every human.
I didn’t know that reading lowers the chance of suffering from anxiety. It makes sense, but I’ve never heard it. Do you have a reference to which you could point us?
That is a personal experience. I suffer from anxiety and a high heart rate when I get really anxious. And my psychiatrist told me that the best way to relax and scape reality is by reading a book. When she told me to do this 3 years ago, I started reading and it helped me a lot with my anxious episodes.
I completely agree with you! It has always helped me with my anxiety or stress and it is so important in all facets of modern society. Especially in today’s current media news climate. You need strong reading skills to be an informed, responsible citizen.
Access to literacy is one of the fundamentals of education. Education is fundamental to civilization. Therefore, access to literacy must be a civil right.
@Brandon reminds me of this quote,
“These children are being disenfranchised,” said Mark Rosenbaum of Public Counsel, a pro bono law firm that focuses on social justice issues and is representing the Detroit students. “Children are not receiving the basic skills to participate in a democracy.”
from a recent article in the Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/do-children-have-a-right-to-literacy-attorneys-are-testing-that-question/2018/08/13/926d0016-9042-11e8-8322-b5482bf5e0f5_story.html?utm_term=.3f753cc0b43c
I’d go as far as to say that access to literacy is the first and foremost fundamental of education. It serves as a basis for all learning and necessary life skills.
The ability to read serves as not only the first step, but perhaps the most important step in seeking out opportunities and taking advantage of our rights. This should be an inalienable right for everyone, regardless of racial and economic privilege!
#everychildeveryclassroomeveryday
Education is the great equalizer, therefore reading is a civil right in order for the next generation of change-makers to successfully bring about positive change. Remembering where we’ve been to know where we need to go!
Reading is a fundamental human right. Why are we still denying individuals BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS? #righttoread #dismissjudgemurphy