| on illiteracy and ignorance. |
[Mar. 30th, 2007|01:53 am] |
Carin thought she had an exam tonight, but it turns out that it's tomorrow. I went home, opened the Absolute Sandman I got a few months ago (I think?), and read it until it was time to pick her up. She didn't have an exam, but she was still stressed out about class, because she's in the floor-level math class; if you know less than a certain amount of algebra, they assume you don't know what numbers are, and they throw you in with everyone of that description. I've offered help before, but she won't take it, and I'm not sure if it's because she really doesn't need it or because it's out of shame.
My father tells me about people--as bright as anyone--who have to drop out of school early, or who miss a few years, or whatever, and who never learn to read. They come up with all kinds of ways around getting noticed, and manage to get by at a certain level, but always in fear of having their ignorance discovered. But ignorance isn't a bad thing in and of itself--it's only when one prefers ignorance to knowledge, even when given the choice, that it becomes so. And it breaks my damned heart to know that people cut themselves off from their potential simply out of shame.
Comments: Pharyngula | Pandagon | DailyKos |
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