Yes, Yasmin, It Really Is Great to Be Able to Enjoy Reading
Now and then a sign comes through that our schools are doing the best they can, despite enormous problems.
For example, I have five literate grandchildren. In times like these, when 27 million Americans are illiterate, just teaching children to read is a great accomplishment.
So I was delighted the other day when my son Curt told me that my 13-year-old granddaughter, Alison, who goes to Webster Junior High School, had won third place in a citywide essay contest.
The school district would not release the essays, so I didn’t read it, but I was gratified that she had written one at all and more so that she had won third place. When you’re 13 years old, writing an essay is like scaling a mountain.
I remembered that I liked writing essays in junior high school, although I never won a prize, and it wasn’t long after that that I saw Pat O’Brien as the brash reporter in Ben Hecht’s and Charles MacArthur’s “The Front Page” and decided on my life’s work.
My son said the awards were to be made at the Board of Education at 1:30 in the afternoon of a certain day. We were invited. Naturally we went. It was a real milestone.
The ceremony was held outdoors under an overhanging wing of a Board of Education building downtown on Ft. Moore Hill. It was cold and windy. Incredibly, the board does not seem to have an auditorium capable of holding 200 or 300 people.
There was a festive air. Cake and Pepsi-Cola was being dispensed from several tables. Balloons blew about in the wind. The Wilmington Junior High School Jazz Band entertained, led by their bouncy director, Kelley Jenkins. (I was told that Jenkins is one of the 1,400 teachers or support service employees of the district who have received “Reduction in Force” letters notifying them that they will be layed off June 30.)
The crowd of students and parents sat in folding chairs or stood around the perimeter. Jackie Goldberg, president of the board, came out to say a few congratulatory words. So did William Anton, superintendent of schools.
The presentation of the awards began. It was more complicated than I had foreseen. The competition among 80 junior high schools was called a pentathlon because there were five categories: mathematics, science, social science, essay and super quiz. There were three groups of competitors: honor students (those with a grade point average of 3.75 to 4,) B students and C students. (My granddaughter was in the honor group.) There were also team awards. The awards table was piled high with gilded trophies.
The presentation was well organized, though. In time I heard my granddaughter’s name, and there she was. A medallion was hung around her neck.
I’m sure every winner was equally proud. And so were their parents and grandparents. After our granddaughter’s turn, however, we decided to leave. It was too cold for me.
Meanwhile, I see other signs that our children are literate. I have received, for example, the following letter, which I print unedited, hoping that its author doesn’t mind.
“Dear Jack Smith:
“First of all, please do not correect my spelling, wording nor punctuation.
“I am a 12-year-old girl in the 6th grade. Every chance I get I love to read your column in the Los Angeles Times newspaper. I usually find them funny and witty. When I was little, my father would read me funny things from your column all the time.
“I must say, when you correct peoples grammar when they write, many, not all, of them become childish and point a finger, saying ‘nah, nah, nah,’ when you make a simple mistake. These people act so immature, it’s unbelievable.
“Anyway, just wanted to let you know that you can make another x on your fan list.
“Just two requests: exactly how old are you and though it’s of no real importance, whats your zodiac sign?
“Sincerely,
“YASMIN GOLAN”
Since I have lost Yasmin’s envelope and don’t know her address, I will take the liberty of answering her here:
“Dear Yasmin:
“I am delighted to know that you enjoy my column.
“You needn’t have worried about my pointing out any errors of spelling or grammar. You didn’t make many. You even got ‘it’s’ right, in ‘it’s unbelievable.’ And ‘unbelievable’ isn’t exactly a snap.
“I only point out errors in people’s letters when they have written to point out errors of mine. Doesn’t that seem fair?
“You must thank your father for introducing you to my column (or to any reading material) at an early age.
“I hope you continue to enjoy reading and that I hear from you again.
“You’re right. My zodiac sign is of no importance. Neither is my age.
“JACK SMITH”
