Thursday, December 9, 2010

Grocery Store Literacy

I stayed beyond my normal leave time at work to see that things are caught up since I am out of the office on Friday and Monday. I wanted to make it to a comedy show tonight that I keep getting invited to but was tired and stayed home, watching 'Big Bang Theory'. Then I went out to the grocery store to get some egg nog and potato chips and a candy bar. I thought about getting the Paul Newman cookies on the discount table but I wanted to keep it under $5, what I had in my wallet. While I was there I was asked to read what was on a WIC check, haven't seen these too often before. It spoke of the types of milk, eggs, and beans available to them. I may have read kind of fast for them but when they asked me to do it again I did so. It was a lesson in literacy and I thought of a classmate I had just heard from, who said she was studying ways of improving literacy rates in elementary schools. I am a big advocate for reading, as it gave me a leg up in life. I know this since one must read a lot to keep up in college classes. I still think back to my prize for finishing second in a reading contest in second grade, it was a Charlie Brown book, the Great Pumpkin. Still have the book, and have added plenty of other Charlie Brown books since then. First time I had heard from this classmate in a while, just before going to the store. She posted a picture on Facebook and I had asked where she had been in Texas. So I think I will wait until they respond again before I tell them about the literacy story. I did tell them a little about a date from this weekend.
In this case the challenge for literacy isn't always just with young people, but also older people in the immigrant population. I had no problem helping them as I like it when people have taken the time to help me. I call it 'my good deed for the day'.
    I did get a date scheduled for the weekend, but phone kept hanging up and don't know why, it did the same with Dad on Wednesday. Sunday brunch was suggested, a fine idea.

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