The beginning of February is the start of a month long celebration- “I Love to Read Month.” This is a great opportunity for teachers, parents, relatives, friends and siblings to motivate our children and youth in reading and writing, helping promote an understanding of the importance of literacy for our communities.
This year’s theme is Books for a Better World. To me, that means if we develop the culture of reading and writing we can discover and harness unique skills that can later be used to make our community, our country and ultimately our world a better place.
Reading is a skill that, once gained, cannot be taken away. Books will take us around the world, teach us many lessons and help us discover who we are. They also build our vocabulary, teach us to engage effectively in our communities, and give us knowledge that can help us better contribute to society.
“Education is the key to success” is a popular phrase many of us know. A well-rounded education curriculum will produce well rounded children, and youth who are future leaders in making Northern communities successful. Education builds the mental, social and physical capabilities of our children. In a world that is increasingly becoming digitized, parents, educators and adults have a greater responsibility to promote the significance of developing literacy skills. This will help children and youth understand, interpret and apply information that they learn from educational materials.
This is why it is important that the government invests in education rather than investing in reviews that lead to cuts. The government must reinstate smaller class sizes to allow for more one-on-one time between teachers and students and reverse their cuts to support staff in our classrooms. All these factors are important in promoting the overall success of our children.
As your NDP, we understand that we need to put the needs of kids first, ahead of budget cuts, because we want every child to succeed. We will continue to advocate for smaller class sizes, more educational assistants and more funding towards education.
I will be visiting day care centres and schools through the course of this month. I look forward to spending time with students as we celebrate this month and support them in the development of their literacy skills.
If you have any questions or concerns, you are welcome to contact me on 204-677-2744 or email me at Danielle.Adams@yourmanitoba.ca.
