<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:12pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">2/12/2021</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:12pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">February is Black History Month: Marva
Collins </span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(32,33,34);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">Motivates the Learning of Literacy!</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:12pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(32,33,34);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">Tom Sticht, International Consultant in Adult
Education (Ret.)</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:12pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">On September 7, 1983, President
Ronald Reagan entered a room in the White House to announce the start of a
National Adult Literacy Initiative. Addressing the members of the audience and
the press he noted that, “ In this decade, America faces serious challenges on
many fronts -- to our national security, our economic prosperity, and our
ability to compete in the international marketplace. If we're to renew our
economy, protect our freedom, we must sharpen the skills of every American mind
and enlarge the potential of every individual American life. Unfortunately, the
hidden problem of adult illiteracy holds back too many of our citizens, and as
a nation, we, too, pay a price.” After enumerating a number of activities that
were being undertaken across the Nation to combat functional illiteracy, he
went on to say, “Together, we can rouse the spirit of our people and apply our
enormous national will to the task at hand. If we succeed, we will have come an
important step closer to making America great again.” Little did he know how
much attention those last four words would garner some three decades later in
another President’s term. </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:12pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">But one thing he did know, was that
one of those in the audience that morning was a person whose work was aimed at
stopping illiteracy before a child entered into adulthood. Her name was Marva
Collins, and she was a celebrated African-American teacher working with poor,
inner-city children in Chicago. Nearing the end of his presentation, President
Reagan said, “Now, I know that all of the ladies and gentlemen here on the
platform are distinguished and are very prominent, and I extend a thanks to
them. But I can't help but tell you, also, this has just been a very great
moment for me, because I've been a fan of Marva Collins ever since I heard of
her, and I at last had the opportunity to meet her.” </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:12pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">Marva Collins work with inner-city children in Chicago and
her advocacy for education and training of teachers in working with children
from poorer neighborhoods was unique in its use of motivational praise for underperforming
inner city children and her use of classical literature and  didactical texts brought her national recognition.
However, one of her most amazing accomplishments was in adult literacy
education when she taught a young 23 year old African-American man named Kevin
Ross who had managed to get into Creighton University on a basketball
scholarship and made it to his senior year without being able to read above a 2^nd
grade level! </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:12pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">When his low reading ability was discovered, Creighton University
got Ross enrolled in Marva Collins Westside Preparatory School at the 2^nd
grade level. There he wedged his 6-foot 9-inch body into the little chairs used
by his classmates. Then, in nine months, with additional private tutoring by
Collins, at 24 years of age, Ross was able to raise his reading level by over
10 grade levels and he graduated in May of 1983. </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:12pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">Two decades later, in 2006, following many years of battling
alcohol and other demons, Ross was driving a cab in Kansas City, Missouri when
he happened to pick up a reporter from the Press Democrat and started a
conversation with him about his earlier experiences as a functionally
illiterate basketball player at Creighton University. Later, the reporter
contacted Ross for an interview (Cohn, 2006) and Ross told him about his
experiences at Marva Collins Westside Prep school and how she worked with him.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:12pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">Cohn reported, “</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Collins took personal charge of Ross, began from scratch, taught
him vowels and how to change nouns to adjectives - orchestra to orchestral.
Until he met Collins, he never had used a capital "I" in his writing,
didn't know one existed. She told him he practiced hard at basketball, and
learning to read would require the same dedication…</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">.</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">When he graduated from Westside a year later,
his reading level was the same as a sophomore in college. He delivered the
commencement address, telling everyone, "Learn, learn, learn. Never cease
learning, and let ignorance die unborn." He also said, "Wipe out the
hydra-headed illiteracy and become Medusas of power and caring."</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">
…</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The kids and parents
gave him a standing ovation. When I asked why he went back to grammar school
after being in college, he said, "I didn't want to live life a false
person or an illiterate. I didn't want to go through life as a big dummy."                                       </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:12pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Two years before this
interview with Kevin Ross, </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(68,71,78)">in
November of 2004, President George W. Bush presented Collins with the National
Humanities medal "for her success in demonstrating the potential of every
child to learn. Her work has influenced educators across our country and helped
enable more Americans to realize the great promise of our Nation." The
announcement goes on to say, “She has trained Fortune 500 executives and over
100,000 teachers, principals, and administrators.”</span><strong><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia,serif;color:rgb(26,26,26)"> </span></strong></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:12pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12pt;color:rgb(26,26,26);font-weight:normal">Marva Collins, elementary school teacher of underprivileged
children, recipient of 42 honorary doctoral degrees for her educational work,
died on June 24, 2015 at the age of 78. She left behind a thought for those who
teach learners of all ages: </span></strong><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="https://www.inspiringquotes.us/quotes/Q2wr_gaAyOpxT"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration-line:none">“When someone
is taught the joy of learning, it becomes a life-long process that never stops,
a process that creates a logical individual. That is the challenge and joy of
teaching.”</span></a> No one left her classes as “a big dummy”!</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:12pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Reference</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:12pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">Cohn, L. (2006, December 10) Humiliation to triumph: A
Student-athlete’s odyssey. The Press Democrat. Online at: <a href="https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/humiliation-to-triumph-a-student-athletes-odyssey/">https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/humiliation-to-triumph-a-student-athletes-odyssey/</a></span></p>

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