not singing but reading

This evening when I was working to get the family settled for the night, the most random song started zipping around in my head. It's the "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" song from Coke. I remember it from way back years ago when the commercial would come on around Christmas time and in the commercial there was this group of girls - probably college students - standing together outside in the cold, holding candles, looking happy and righteous, and singing this song. Oh how I wanted to be those girls. To have friends and songs and candles and ideals worth braving the cold for.

But I don't want to teach the world to sing. Even though I love karaoke, I just can't sing. In fact, my singing is so bad that I threaten my boys with it. "If you don't (insert thing here) right now, I'll sing (insert song name here) until you get up and do it." Sadly, this always merits an immediate response, usually with a shocked and fearful look from the one in danger of mom's singing. And the other one is hollering for him to hurry up so I don't have a chance to get started.

Instead, I'd like to teach the world to read. I can imagine a literate and educated world population better able to make wise decisions, to elect honest and responsible civic leaders, to teach their children to think and anticipate, and to better determine their own positive outcomes in life, where no one is a "kept" citizen in the captivity of ignorance and illiteracy.

Empowering women empowers their communities. A rising tide lifts all boats. If we can get women up to ride the wave of literacy, their families will haul in loads of benefits.

*Please follow my class blog at http://mrshikner.edublogs.org and on Twitter @HHmikner.


Edited blog post for my 272 emulation -

I have been thinking about the most random song -it's the "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" song from Coke. I remember it from way back years ago when the commercial would come on around Christmas time and in the commercial there was this group of girls - probably college students - standing together outside in the cold, holding candles, looking happy and righteous, and singing this song. Oh how I wanted to be those girls. To have friends and songs and candles and ideals worth braving the cold for.

But I don't want to teach the world to sing.

Instead, I'd like to teach the world to read. 775 million adults worldwide and 30 million Americans are considered functionally illiterate – reading below a 5^th grade level. I can imagine a future literate, educated, and free world population better able to make wise decisions, to elect honest and responsible civic leaders, to teach their children to think and anticipate, and to better determine their own positive outcomes in life - to be the masters of their own destinies - where no one is a "kept" citizen, stuck in the lonely and bleak captivity of ignorance and illiteracy.

Empowering women empowers their families and communities. A rising tide lifts all boats. If we can get women up to ride the wave of literacy, to demand an education for themselves and for their children, then their families, and later, the world, will haul in loads of benefits. Lower unemployment. Less child labor and human trafficking. Longer life expectancy. Greater opportunities and financial possibilities.

Together we can untap full human potential through literacy.

*Literacy information taken from www.literacypartners.org.