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We
welcome your letter to the editor.
Letters
should be no longer than 300 words and must be signed and include
a phone number. Longer letters may be edited for clarity and space.
Submissions should be typewritten if possible.
Deadline
for submission is noon on Monday.
Perspectives
by Patti M. Clark
NH Publisher
NIE
sponsors provide invaluable service
Each week, more than
1,200 copies of The News-Herald go into the local school system.
Each week, more than 1,200 students are exposed to the happenings
in their community. They can check out the work of the local governments,
see what local retailers are offering for sale this week, and
peruse the classifieds in search of that perfect item.
Each week, these 1,200 students get to do something else, they
get to read.
Most students read in school, you say. You’re right, but
the difference is that these 1,200 students are reading about
their community. Compared to the textbooks on their desks, newspapers
deal in reality, in what is happening here and now. Reading the
community newspaper opens the door for discussion as well and
in the long run, it builds a community of informed residents who
understand what happens when the fiscal court votes on an ordinance
or the school board decides to pass a tax increase. The newspaper
is the only up-to-date social studies and science text there is.
Newspapers in the school and literacy go hand in hand. So do being
involved in the community and reading the weekly newspaper.
Consider these statistics:
• One in five adult Americans reads at a fifth-grade level
or lower.
• Three out of four unemployed adults have reading or writing
difficulties.
• Six out of 10 front-line workers in goods-producing industries
can’t match written information to a task if inference is
involved.
• Seven out of 10 people in prison read and write at the
lowest levels.
• Workers who lack a high school diploma earn an average
monthly income of $452 a month, compared to $1,829 for those with
a college degree.
Newspapers help schools begin to fight these statistics. Newspapers
bridge the gap between the classroom and the real world. They
contain history as it happens and they serve as the ideal text
for individualized instruction because they contain something
for every student.
And best of all, newspapers are an influential and integral part
of our free society.
Research has shown that community residents who read their local
newspaper are more likely to be involved in their community. Those
who read are more likely to have a productive job, to continue
their education, to stay out of jail.
This week is national Newspapers in Education Week, and its theme
is “Keep It Real — Newspapers, the Ultimate Informational
Text.” Studies show that students like nonfiction topics.
They like learning about the real world. They like reading about
the real world.
All throughout the school system, teachers are using the newspaper
in different ways. Ideally, they are using them for activities
in their classroom rather than simply handing them out and sending
them home. Doing so helps the student learn the importance of
the information contained in the newspaper and how to apply it
to his or her real-life situations.
Please take the time this week to read the newspaper with your
child. Please also take the time to thank the businesses and individuals
who sponsor the newspapers for our classrooms each week. Without
them, we couldn’t help teachers grow our involved community
leaders of the future.
Sponsors include: Dairy Queen, Sloma & Jones Realty, Mark
Cleveland, Peoples Bank & Trust Co., Owen Electric, Owen County
PTO, Citizens Bank of New Liberty, BellSouth, Owen County Chamber
of Commerce, First Kentucky Securities, Actaris Metering Systems,
Carl and Kathy Cummins, Terry and Linda Gribben, Dell Computers,
Corinth Marathon, Owen County Fiscal Court, First Farmers Bank
& Trust, Touch of Polish, Elk Creek Hunt Club, Cerco Inc.,
Owenton First Baptist Church, North American Stainless, Altman-Monning,
Carol’s Crafts & Tax Express, Jackson-Richardson Corp.,
Angie McDonald, Kentucky American, Subway, Baxter & James,
Snappy Tomato, Rep. Royce Adams, Sen. Damon Thayer, Croxton’s
Video & Tanning, Richardson Contracting, Pleasant Ridge Baptist
Church, Owen County Building Supply, Three Rivers District Health
Dept., Kentucky Speedway and other anonymous donors.
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