International Literacy Day

September 8 is traditionally International Literacy Day. According to the International Reading Association, more than 780 million of the world's adults do not know how to read or write. Nearly two-thirds of those are women. In the United States an estimated 32 million adults, about one in seven, have such low reading skills a child's picture book is a challenge for them.
I cannot even imagine not being able to read or write. To celebrate International Literacy Day, I am giving thanks for teachers before going back to reading my book.

But first a story about something that occurred a couple days ago and which, I think, relates to literacy. I was in a mixed-age group of people. A 50-something man was talking to a 70+ woman. He used the word crotchety. A 22-year-old woman said, "What?" We three older ones laughed. I said to her, "You probably don't even know what that word means, do you?"
She said, "No. What does it mean?" We all gave her a synonym: cranky, ill-tempered, cantankerous, grumpy, irritated. It is a word generally used to describe old people, as in "She is a crotchety old woman."

I have days I am really crotchety. I hate to think what I'd be like if I couldn't read!

(Poster from the Dag Hammarskjold Library. Picture is of my Great-great Grandmother Duncan.)