BUCKING THE SYSTEM: LITERACY: IT IS REALLY WORTH YELLING ABOUT

For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed reading. I have my favorite teachers to thank for my literacy: My parents.

I think I love to read because my parents always had books everywhere. Both of my parents read a lot, and they made sure we had books on every level and subject imaginable around the house. They also made sure we had a resource library -- a set of encyclopedias, a dictionary and a thesaurus -- so that I could find the meaning of words I didn't know.

Playing school was my favorite afterschool game, and my sister was always present for reading class (willingness not withstanding). As a matter of fact, one of my and my parents' biggest credits is the fact that Clarissa could read as a 4-year old.

Well, those reading classes counted for something, didn't they?

I must have driven my parents crazy when I was little because I liked reading aloud to them so much. My favorite book for many years was called My Bible Stories, and I read it until the pages had smooth spots where I had turned them over and over again.

I remember many nights of sitting at the kitchen table with book in hand and dictionary on standby, reading to Mom as she washed the dishes. I'd stumble on a word, and she'd prompt me while I worked through it. She'd also encourage me to bring the words and characters to life by putting varying the pitch and inflections in my voice. Reading with Mom was fun because there was a lot of laughter and learning involved.

Reading with Dad was completely different. He'd listen to me sometimes, but I remember him often encouraging me to practice reading silently. What was that about?

I didn't really enjoy reading with Dad until I became a teen-ager. Those were my rebellion and blue funk years, and I was so contrary it was nauseating. Dad was there for me though, giving me a lot of weird, hard-to-read books and asking my opinions about them later on.

Many a rowdy conversation took place over the years as Dad and I discussed the literary merits about the Bible and other controversial pieces of literature. Although different, those experiences were also fun and educational.

On Tuesday, volunteers will hit the street corners in Cape, Jackson and Scott City to sell copies of the 1997 YELL paper. YELL is an acronym that stands for Youth Education Literacy Learning, and it's a special newspaper sold for $2. The proceeds are used to provide free newspapers in area schools and to provide literacy grants for school or community literacy programs.

YELL is a wonderful way of raising awareness about the importance of literacy. Earlier this week, I interviewed a man who was learning to read at the age of 85. He was so proud that he could spell his name and he made me realize how precious the gift of literacy is.

He also reminded me how lucky I was to have had parents who encouraged me to read and took the time to make sure I comprehended what I read. All too often we forget that not everyone is literate, and those without that knowledge meet a lot of closed doors in life.

I thank my parents for opening those doors for me.

~Tamara Zellars Buck is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian