News Flash: Literacy is important!

As I have mentioned, I am currently in Japan. This trip has given me a new understanding of what it is like to have limited reading skills.

In Japan, most of the signs are in Japanese characters, almost none of which I can read. Even the scarce English signage can present problems, as it can include mistakes or comprehension can depend on background knowledge which I lack. So I am reduced in most cases to guessing or relying on my daughter-in-law or - most often - to just sticking to the known and safe. The inability to read makes me helpless and dependent.

Until this trip, I had no idea how much I rely on my ability to read in order to get me through the day - navigate to unknown destinations, figure out bus schedules, order food in restaurants, read toilet instructions (the toilets here are VERY sophisticated), and on and on. 

Bottom line: we have a moral duty to ensure that all children become competent readers.

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