What it Means to be Literate: Why Students Come to School

Paul Valanis • Cahn Fellow 2021

Students want to know how to live in their world, not the one we grew up in. When learning is relevant, when the skills, concepts and vocabulary are relatable, when the universal life lessons are breathed into new metaphors that express today’s reality, then and only then do students relate and understand. Creating an academic literacy program that fosters skill attainment and self-awareness, answers their questions, assists them in discovering their purpose, keeps them engaged and turns their gifts into talents allows students to see the value of an ‘education’.