Literacy Lives in Us All

According to Yetta Goodman's chapter, "The Development of Initial Literacy," the development of literacy is present in all children at a very young age. Children begin to comprehend very early on, how reading and writing have great emphasis on communication and meaning in society. Just like in oral language development, written language shows meaning and a form of communication to youngsters. So if this is the case, then why are there so many children who struggle through these rooted incentives throughout school? Of multiple reasons for this developed delinquency, Goodman points out the important fact "that children's development of literacy grows out of their experiences, and the views and attitudes towards literacy that they encounter as they interact with social groups..." (317).
While social class may emphasize the degree to which children feel the competence to read and write, this does not mean that the lower-class children cannot read or comprehend meaning from reading. Literacy just comes in different levels of importance to different social groups. Lower-class families might not read the same sorts of literature as do middle-class families. For example, children might get their reading practice from food labels in the grocery store rather then sight words from a book. Either way, the child is still recognizing the importance of meaning through reading. Another prime example of reading determinants by social class could be the way which reading is presented to the child. If reading is only seen to the child as a chore to his parents, there is a good chance he will grow up thinking of it as a chore as well.
How we display reading to our children will have a major impact on how they perceive it in the years to come. As teachers we must try to show a variety of texts to students and read and analyze them in exciting ways. We must open their minds to the potential which is already within them.