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Last Saturday this column described the holiday decorations and lights that our new Kump Education Center Board members have brought to the 100-year-old Kump House.
The public is invited to visit next Tuesday and Thursday [4-7 p.m.] and Saturday, Dec. 21 & 28 from 1-4 p.m. We hope visitors will make contributions to support preservation and education at KEC.
The lights you see on Kump House tours are the electric lights that have been turned on to get public attention. What you do not see is the intellectual light that comes into the eyes of a child when new insights develop.
During the pandemic while schools were closed, our children did not get to practice many of the key reading, math and social skills they needed for the next grade level, or what they will need for their future career and family responsibilities.
All over this country, test scores are down and educators find that many students are at least two years behind where they should be in academic learning, and they will need computer skills in their future jobs that depend on the old basic skills they should have developed in school.
Unfortunately, many young families have not functioned effectively in our area during the last several years. Problems like the loss of jobs, use of drugs, and confusion over public health care and public schools have stressed families in our community during the pandemic. Grandparents, single parents, social workers, and teachers scramble to find ways to help struggling students.
The Kump Center light that I will never forget was the light of insight in the eyes of a fifth-grade girl who was laboriously sounding out one letter at a time until her tutor told her to "chunk it." Then she could hear herself saying recognizable syllables, and suddenly she was able to read a short passage with understanding.
That enlightenment is the kind of light I want to see more often, and I am convinced that such insights need to happen for many students who have not yet taken the developmental steps necessary for literacy and numeracy. Each student needs different steps that are missing because of irregular scheduling, erratic attendance, and/or family disruptions.
Because of illness, I was not able to read on grade level myself when I was in fourth and fifth grade, but my mother found special tutoring for me. That is why I am so anxious to offer individualized interventions for the students who have not done well on their achievement tests. If students gain the skills they need before they go to middle and high school, they will have more career opportunities.
If I could have one Christmas wish for the school children of the pandemic years, it would be that they would gain the skills they need to overcome the distrust, isolation and self-doubt they have experienced during these unusually trying times.