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Thank again Tom. This piece touched me deeply.
<div class=""> Can I share it with colleagues and friends.</div>
<div class=""> Brian Cambourne<br class="">
<div class="">
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<blockquote type="cite" class="">
<div class="">On 13 Feb 2021, at 6:10 am, Thomas Sticht <<a href="mailto:tgsticht@gmail.com" class="">tgsticht@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</div>
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<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" class="">2/12/2021</span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" class="">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" class="">Motivates
the Learning of Literacy!</span></p>
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<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" class="">Tom Sticht, International
Consultant in Adult Education (Ret.)</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" class=""></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" class="">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>
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<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" class="">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>
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<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" class="">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<sup class="">nd</sup> grade level!
</span></p>
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<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" class="">When his low reading ability was
discovered, Creighton University got Ross enrolled in Marva Collins Westside Preparatory School at the 2<sup class="">nd</sup> 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.
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<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" class="">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>
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<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" class="">Cohn reported, “</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" class="">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" class="">.</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" class="">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" class="">
…</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" class="">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>
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<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" class="">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)" class="">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 class=""><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia,serif;color:rgb(26,26,26)" class="">
</span></strong></p>
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<strong class=""><span style="font-size:12pt;color:rgb(26,26,26);font-weight:normal" class="">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" class=""><a href="https://www.inspiringquotes.us/quotes/Q2wr_gaAyOpxT" class=""><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration-line:none" class="">“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>
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<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif" class="">Reference</span></p>
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<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" class="">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/" class="">
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/humiliation-to-triumph-a-student-athletes-odyssey/</a></span></p>
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<b class=""><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia,serif;color:rgb(26,26,26)" class=""> </span></b></p>
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