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Show B2 The Emery County Review, Tuesday, September 2, 2008 The FAMILY PAGE Horoscope Focus On The Family Crossword Figuratively Speaking FOCUS ON THE FAMILY Teaching Children to Read is Greatest Priority Dr. James Dobson Q Schools are asked to accomplish many things on behalf of our kids today. They are even expected to teach them how to have sex without spreading disease. What part of the curriculum would you give the greatest priority? Schools that try to do everything may wind up doing very little. That’s why I believe we should give priority to the academic fundamentals -- what used to be called “readin’, writin’, and ‘rithmetic.” Of those three, the most important is basic literacy. An appalling number of students graduating from high school can’t even read the employment page of the newspaper or comprehend an elementary book. Every one of those young men and women will suffer years of pain and embarrassment because of our failure. That misery starts at a very young age. A tenth grade boy was once referred to me because he was dropping out of school. I asked why he was quitting and he said with great passion, “I’ve been miserable since first grade. I’ve felt embarrassed and stupid every year. I’ve had to stand up and read, but I can’t even understand a second grade A book. You people have had your last laugh at me. I’m getting out.” I told him I didn’t blame him for the way he felt; his suffering was our responsibility. Teaching children to read should be “Job One” for educators. Giving boys and girls that basic skill is the foundation on which other learning is built. Unfortunately, millions of young people are still functionally illiterate after completing 12 years of schooling and receiving high school diplomas. There is no excuse for this failure. Research shows that every student, with very few exceptions, can be taught to read if the task is approached creatively and individually. Admittedly, some can’t learn in group settings because their minds wander and they don’t ask questions as readily. They require one-on-one instruction from trained reading specialists. It is expensive for schools to support these remedial teachers, but no expenditure would be more helpful. Special techniques, teaching machines, and behavior modification techniques can work in individual cases. Whatever is required, we must provide it. Furthermore, the sooner this help can be given, the better for the emotional and academic well-being of the child. By the fourth or fifth grades, he or she has already suffered the humiliation of reading failure. Q My older child is a great student and earns straight A’s year after year. Her younger sister, now in the sixth grade, is completely bored in school and won’t even try. The frustrating thing is that the younger girl is probably brighter than her older sister. Why would she refuse to apply her ability like this? There could be many reasons for her academic disinterest, but let me suggest the most probable explanation. Children will often refuse to compete when they think they are likely to place second instead of first. Therefore, a younger child may avoid challenging an older sibling in his area of greatest strength. If Son Number One is a great athlete, then Son Number Two may be more interested in collecting A FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY Week of Aug. 31 Holiday Mathis Personal excellence is cultivated, and our talents are recognized and made stronger through the help of others as VirgoLibra energies combine forces this week. Saturn and Jupiter meet the sun in resultsoriented earth signs. Efforts gain traction, even as we question how they’ll be received. The true value of things can only be judged when they are put to use. The proof of the pudding is the eating! ARIES (March 21-April 19). There is power in compromise. It won’t feel like it at first, and especially not on Thursday when you might think you’re missing out on the way you really wanted things to be. But it only stings for a second and there’s something great on the other side if you push through. Sagittarius and Libra people offer excellent support. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The initial spark you got in the early stages of a project or relationship has now died down. Keeping the fire of excitement going takes a lot more work. All you need is a break and perhaps some sleep. Take it slow and easy on Tuesday and Wednesday. By the weekend you’re back to being completely psyched. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Your selfimprovement methods are working, and you want to help another person get there, too. You’re trying to be a motivational force. Save your breath. Practice instead of preaching. It’s possible for someone to debate your semantics, but no one can argue against John MacIntyre your living, breathing example. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’re fascinated with someone who seems different from you, but who is similar in important ways. Perhaps this person is living a secret dream of yours or expressing him or herself in a way that you would like to do. With your magnetic thoughts, you pull this person in. Eventually you will become what you admire. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’ve been working hard lately, and you may feel a bit tired. As for the social and familial demands on you, you might feel that there’s nothing left in your emotional well to draw from. It’s more true that there’s an entire ocean of inspiration available to you. All you have to do is allow yourself to tap into it. THIS WEEK’S BIRTHDAYS: As you step into a new level of serenity, your preferences change. You require less of others and tolerate more. You ease up on yourself and everyone around you. You’re happier. September is a celebration of romance. In October you find marvelous business alliances. A shift in your habits brings improved health in the winter. You could change your residence in January. The new year features education. Your work is cut out for you, and you excel. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You weren’t out to impress anyone, and yet you simply can’t help it lately. You’re a mentor, whether butterflies. If Daughter Number One is an accomplished pianist, then Daughter Number Two may be a boy-crazy goof-off. This rule does not always hold true, of course, depending on the child’s fear of failure and the way he estimates his chances of successful competition. If his confidence is high, he may blatantly wade into the territory owned by big brother, determined to do even better. However, the more typical response is to seek new areas of compensation which are not yet dominated by a family superstar. If this explanation fits the behavior of your younger daughter, then it would be wise to accept something less than perfection from her school performance. Every child need not fit the same mold -- nor can we force them to do so. (Dr. Dobson is founder and chairman of the board of the nonprofit organization Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO 80995(www.family. org). Questions and answers are excerpted from “Solid Answers” and “Bringing Up Boys,” both published by Tyndale House. Copyright 2008 James Dobson Inc. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate) 25: Percentage of workers who say they stay in contact with work while on vacation, according to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder. 7: Percentage of employ- ees who say they have lied to their employers and claimed that they couldn’t be reached on vacation. Source: CareerBuilder.com. 60: When Washington, D.C., bartenders were asked who was the better tipper, percentage who said Democrats, according to a survey issued by Beam Global Spirits and Wine Inc. 38: Percentage who said Republicans. 74: Percentage who said Democrats have the better pick-up lines. 14: Percentage who said Republicans. Source: Clarus. 53.2 billion: In the past nine months, number of fewer miles that Americans drove than they did during the same period a year ago, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Source: Orlando Business Journal. 19: Percentage of Ameri- cans who know someone at their current or past workplace who has been passed over for a job because they didn’t have the right degree, according to a study by eLearners.com. 10: Percentage of respon- dents who say they themselves have been denied a job at some point for not having a degree. Source: eLearners.com. 33: Percentage of U.S. households that have a video-capable mobile phone, according to market research firm Parks Associates. 56: Percentage of house- holds with the technology that have never used it. Source: Parks Associates. 82: Percentage of Ameri- cans who say they alone are responsible for their health and agree that lifestyle choices directly impact their healthcare costs, according to a survey conducted by The Vitality Group. 44: Percentage that never- theless say they should not bear any part of the responsibility of paying for their health care. Source: The Vitality Group. 50: Percentage of teens who expressed an interest in learning more about managing money, according to Capital One Financial Corp. 14: Percentage of teens who have taken a personal finance class in school. 69: Percentage who say that what they know about managing money, they learned from their parents. 36: Percentage who did Continued on Page B3. not have this discussion last year. Source: Capital One Financial Corp. 26: Percentage of U.S. employees who are considering changing jobs to improve their commute times, according to a survey conducted by Business Week Research Services for TransitCenter Inc. 48: Percentage of U.S. employees who say their commute to work is getting worse. 65: Percentage of employ- ees who say they expect their companies to take the lead in easing their commuting difficulties. Source: TransitCenter. 81: Percentage of American workers who are currently worried about something when it comes to their job, according to the Adecco USA Workplace Insights survey. 1, 2, 3: Ranks of high gas prices, a stagnant paycheck and work-life balance on the list of their main concerns. Source: MWW Group. Idle Thought “What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.” -- Bob Dylan (Copyright 2008 John MacIntyre Inc. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate.) Puzzle answers on Page B3. |
