In light of the holidays, we will not be blogging during the next two weeks. Enjoy the season.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Holiday Break
Pre-GED testing week
It might be the season of sale hopping, parties, and gift giving, but it is also the time of year when resolutions occur. This year why not make a resolution to help someone obtain stronger reading skills and possibly get a GED? Sounds good, huh? Well, it is.
The Emporia-Greensville Literacy Council would like to invite anyone who is thinking about the GED to come in take the pre-test. The test is free, about four and a half hours in length, and anyone who does not have a high school diploma is encouraged to try it. The results of this test are used to help determine what skills someone may or may not be lacking to pass the full-length exam. Most importantly, the results can not hurt you, and they are kept confidential. The Emporia-Greensville Literacy Council will also give a scholarship to the pre-tester with the highest score. This scholarship will cover the cost of the GED.
The GED pre-test dates are January 11 through 14, and the tests are in the Richardson Memorial Library. Test takers can feel free to stop by, take the exam in one sitting, or in multiple days, and times are flexible. If you have questions, or would like to set up a time to test, please contact Annessa Babic at annessababic@gmail.com or 804-922-7231. You can also call the library at 434-634-2539.
"What we have here . . . "
In the 1967 flick Cool Hand Luke the Captain utters the now infamous line to Paul Newman's character (Luke). Captain tells Luke and the other prisoners that "What we've got here is a failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach, so you get what we had here last week which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. And I don't like it any more than you men." Yea, this quote is about life in a rural prison camp, but in the forty plus years after the movie's premiere these words have been applied to a plethora of situations and conditions. And you guessed it, the "what we have here is a failure to communicate" applies to literacy.
Most of us take reading, and even constructing simple sentences as second nature. We do not think about the complexity of these acts, and we do not agonize about having to read a simple electric bill. Yet, for people who can not read or have weak reading skills seemingly simple tasks of paying bills, reading prescription labels, and reading directions become almost insurmountable obstacles. These moments become the epitome of failing to communicate.
Reading is a form of communication, just like speaking. Reading is also essential to everyday life. Reading . . . reading is the cliche we've all heard about opening up new worlds, and reading is a direct line of communication to the world we live in.
As always, if you know someone who can not read, is weak with reading, or if you would like to volunteer for the Emporia-Greensville Literacy Council please contact us.
Reworking our image
In the weeks to come the newly up and running blog for the Emporia-Greensville Literacy Council will have more posts. In the meantime, please bear with us as we develop and rework our digital image.
In the meantime, if you know anyone in the area who needs help with reading or developing skills for a GED please contact us. Or, if you would like to be one of your volunteers please contact us.
Cheers.