Slaves weren’t allowed to learn how to read because slave owners feared that if slaves were educated then they would have the knowledge to rebel and fight back. Gaining the ability to read was valuable and important , not just to slaves but to everyone else. Reading is a skill that we have to use everyday so we don’t get screwed over in life. Being able to read something and break down the information and process that information within seconds is like a cool sixth sense, Our brain is multitasking. My personal experience with reading was influenced and formed by my Dad’s experience with learning how to read. My Dad not knowing how to read taught me that reading is important when it comes to succeeding in life because not only was he reliant on other people to help him read bills and instructions but it also impacted me as a kid as I was unable to keep up in class and had no one to help me with my homework which almost led to me failing.
Growing up I learned that reading is an important skill to have because without it you won’t be able to succeed in school. The reason you won’t be able to succeed in school without reading is because you won’t be able to follow along in classes and you won’t be able to complete homework and assignments. When I was in second grade I needed help with my homework because I couldn’t read or understand the questions. I remember walking up to my Dad and asking him to read the questions to me but he just waved his hand off at me, signaling me to go away and told me that he couldn’t help me because he couldn’t read it. I began getting zeroes on my homework grade because of my inability and his inability to read. The teachers called my parents asking why I wasn’t doing my homework. It was embarrassing for my dad to explain why I couldn’t do my homework and it kind of hurt him emotionally because he didn’t like showing up to my school after those phone calls. I also was unable to participate in class because I couldn’t read. The teacher would bring out a children’s book , (not Dr Seuss of course because he actually just made up words) and tell us all to follow along. I couldn’t follow along because I didn’t know what they were reading and I didn’t know when they finished reading a page or not. One time the teacher called on me to read a page out of the book and I froze in terror and said nothing and just stared at the page. One of the assistants came over and told me I wasn’t even on the right page and she flipped it for me but it didn’t matter because I just couldn’t understand any of the words. Some of the classmates laughed at me and I came home frustrated that day. These experiences taught me that reading is important to learn when it comes to school because without the ability to read, there will be learning barriers and you’ll fall behind in class like me.
Watching My Dad struggle with things that he could easily resolve on his own if he knew how to read taught me that lacking the ability to read will make you reliant and dependent on people. Relying on people can be a bad thing because you’ll never be able to do things on your own and strangers might not give you all the information you need. When I was older my Dad would drive us around ( in case you’re wondering , he had to have a scribe read the questions to him in order to pass his test) but he would always need me or my Mom to read what the parking signs would say. For example the sign would say Tuesday and Friday 8:30-10am. My Dad was reliant on us , he always would ask one of us to stay in the car so that he can find parking and know which side to park on. One time we weren’t there to help read the sign to him and he parked on the wrong side and got a ticket. My Dad would also struggle when it came to getting important papers. When my Dad would get letters, he would always wait until my Mom came home since he couldn’t read them. He would also have to bring my Mom with him to meetings about the insurance company to make sure the people that the people at the insurance company weren’t leaving out important information and taking advantage of him. My Dad also couldn’t do paperwork on his own , he had trouble filling out job applications on his own (he got jobs that didn’t require reading, like working at a park). He struggled with everything in life because everything requires reading and understanding. The lesson is that without the ability to read you will struggle in life and will have a hard time making a living for not only yourself but for your family .
Reading is important because you will struggle in life and will always have to rely on people if you can’t read. My Dad is a perfect example of this , he can’t read important papers , he can’t fill out job applications and he has a hard time parking. His inability to read also impacted me because I struggled in school when it came to my grades since no one was there to help read the homework questions to me and I couldn’t keep up in class. In history reading and writing has helped people of color learn about their history and be able to express themselves and the problems going on throughout our world through literature, poem, text. Although reading is a basic skill , it’s a very important basic skill and it holds power and people should utilize that power.
