Ironically, it was an junior and senior alternative high school, and social services agency. This dude was the VP of Community Affairs. Translated that meant he supposedly did outreach and violence control, but mainly he walked the streets and hit on young girls. (He had at least 20 children by who knows how many women.)

He is deemed as one of our "commuity leaders" and has been around a long time working with gangs, and youth, and the previous agency he worked with morphed into this school. So he never had to fill out an application. Needless to say I left that job (I was VP of Aministration) after two years because his position there was indicative of how the org. was run as a whole. He was recently let go.

This really makes me sad although I know it is more prevalent than most of us would imagine. I am feeling all blessed and all because I am literate....my son is, too.

I teach a basic public health course to high school students in Watts and oh, boy. Most of the students do fine (save for a bunch of grammatical errors, etc.) but there was one student who could not read and could barely write. I didn't know until I asked him to read a paragraph from a book or something to that effect and he..he just couldn't. I had to apologize to him (I just felt bad b/c he was on the spot) and let him know it wouldn't happen again. I had to play it off like "I know it's hard to read when you are tired..." and went ahead and read it for him.

Now he is like 17 ad not a grown a$$ man but he will be a grown a$$ man one day...

Sheila C. Johnson and new husband...
 

From NY Times

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...n/vows.583.jpg

^^^^ he's certainy taller than Bobby and looks more distinguished.

Re: Fantasia


OK, I was shocked about her being functionally illiterate. I watched last night's ep of The Simpsons where she was a guest voice and during the whole show I was wondering, how did she read the script?

I'm glad that she stood up and said that she had a problem and that she was getting help, but I have to wonder how this is going to look to the kids I work with. They already don't want to be anything except singers, rappers, and ball players and don't put forth any effort into school as it is. I keep telling them how important education is and how important staying in school is. Then they'll see her and think, "well if she dropped out of school and made it, then I can too." It's frustrating.

I mean, I see older people being illiterate, but I was truly shocked that there are YOUNG people in this day and age that cannot read and write. Maybe I don't get out enough.

Dang I missed the Simpsons.

It seems that people who can't read/write become masters at fooling people. I just heard a rumor that Clive Davis made this up to help her book sales....

:eek: Where the heck have I been because I totally missed all of this!!

Earphones with someone giving her the words or a tape recording of the words.

I am just finding this out. You would never know it!

One possible angle to take is stressing to the students how not knowing how to read increases the possibility of being taken advantage of by unscrupulous people. Fantasia may have "made it", but how can she "keep it" if she doesn't have an understanding of the things (i.e. contracts) that she signs? This leaves her at the mercy of her accountant, attorney, agent, etc.

It's hard enough keeping a firm grip on financial matters when you're literate, but it makes it doubly hard when you're illiterate.

This can be a sort of financial "scared straight." ;) :)

and to add to that, see if you can find a sample recording contract and have them read it, then explain it. Or one of those looooong inserts you get with a credit card.

Fantasia's situation was a lot of work and a lucky break.

I heard Fantasia on Tom Joyner this morning, where she clarified some things. She said she can read and write, but has "never been a strong reader" and apparently struggles greatly. Thereafter, the interview focused on her overcoming her literary deficiences, whatever they are, and being an inspiration to others to step up and get help if they need it. But Fantasia set them straight right off the top that she can read/write.

She also said that she can read "some words" and when she mispronounced something, she would just play it off as being "country" and not that she couldn't read. I bet that is what she did witht he script.

Hmmm, I don't know if I believe this. She said in a previous interview that she was unable to read a book to her child. Children's books are not that complex since they are designed to help children learn to read, so I'm thinking that she is just a little uncomfortable with the widespread publicity that her illiteracy is getting. I can absolutely understand this, and I hope that she is able to overcome this. However, I think that her problem is/was severe.

See...now I feel like something else is going on. In the show she said she couldn't read a story to her child. So which is it?? You don't have to be Zora Neale to read a children's book.