A Path Appears

A Path Appears

   The words are part of a quote from the Chinese writer, Lu Xan: “Hope is a path on the mountainside. At first there is no path. But then there are people passing that way. And there is a path.”  The words are also the title of the book by husband-wife writing team, Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.  Worldwide correspondents, they have won multiple Pulitzers and witnessed many cultures, seeing both the good and the bad of each and watching how quickly little things can make a difference, especially when it comes to giving, not only monetarily but of oneself by advocating or mentoring.  The subtitle of the book is Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity.

   Their book is a good reminder of what the holidays bring out in us, how we begin to feel for others again if only because we are made aware of just how fortunate we are.  Certainly the appeals that flood our inboxes and mail begin to overwhelm us, something the authors mention as to why they undertook the writing of this book.  So many social problems in the twenty-first century seem intractable and insoluable.  We started our married life together as foreign correspondents for The New York Times, and we have wondered for years how we can do a better job addressing the needs around us.  Not everyone can help fight crime in a city's worst neighborhoods or volunteer in schools, so most of us are left to engage in piecemeal efforts such as a donation here or there.  Like many Americans, we have day jobs we need to keep, and we have been busy raising our children;  that has left us looking for great causes and people to support in modest ways.  We aren't regular churchgoers who focus our giving on a particular religious establishment, and although we wanted to lend a hand, we never knew how to choose among the appeals from nonprofits that inundated us.  Basically, we were mystified about how best to assist at home as well as abroad.  So we investigated how one can do a better job of making a difference, how one can help institute effective change.  This book is the fruit of our labors.

   The changes mentioned in the book are small but fulfilling, and so spread throughout the world that one is continually surprised at how many good causes and people are out there, people really trying and making a difference, be they dirt poor (a phrase that originated from medieval days when one didn't have enough money to even purchase a mat or some sort of flooring to cover the dirt ground of one's home) to flooded with riches or success.  I mention the latter word because of a few sentences in the book.  "Successful people often scorn those who are poor or homeless.  A Princeton University scholar, Susan Fiske, has used scans to show that the brains of high-achieving people see images of poor people and process them as if they were not human but things."

   Just one example of the ease of making a difference came from their chapter, A Thirty-Million Word Gap.  In this section, studies showed that "a child on welfare heard about 3 million words spoken a year, a working-class child about 6 million words a year, and a child of professionals about 11 million words annually."  Hearing such an increased number of words led to higher IQ scores and higher achievement.  But more so, "Children on welfare heard two words of discouragement for every encouraging one, while children of professionals received six encouraging words for every discouraging one," often not because they mean to but rather because of the stress of their struggling needs and, for the most part, their own upbringing.  Even more interesting was the studies of brain scans showing that babies readily discern the difference between hearing a human talking to them and a television voice talking to them, treating the human voice as "social interaction" and treating the television or computer voice as "random noise."  So much for Sesame Street.

   One simple effort is called Reach Out and Read which pediatricians "prescribe" reading for babies and young children.  Says medical director Perri Klass, "For many parents, reading to a six-month-old before she can even speak seems alien.  And in so many homes, the only book is a Bible on a high shelf, and you wash your hands before taking it down, and you certainly don't hand it to a toddler."  One study of low-income Hispanic children found that "64% of the families reported that they didn't have a single children's book in their home." 

   Reading to babies and pre-kindergarden children is now becoming more and more accepted as the results begin to pour in.  Vocabularies and proficiencies are up, as are graduation rates in later studies.  Parents enrolled in such programs report that reading to their children is now one of their favorite activities, not only for them as the parents but also for their children.  And the average cost?  $20 per child.  Even business leaders and CEOs of groups such as Macy's and Proctor & Gamble are recognizing the ROI (return on investment) by funding such early childhood reading, saying, "investing in early childhood achieves the best ROI for our country.   Currently more than 90 percent of our education dollars are spent after age five, yet 85 percent of a child's core brain structure is developed before age five."

   Who knew that the age-old (if diminishing) practice of reading a story to child at night (as so idyllically portrayed in the movies) would not only make a comeback, but would prove so valuable?  Below are just a few of the many groups the authors mentioned in their book, those advocating for childhood reading and each doing so in its own unique and effective way.  And this is but one small section of the book.  If you're finding yourself as confused as the authors, sorting through the blizzard of mail and tinkling bells requesting money for the holidays, then you might want to pick up this book and have it bring a bit of joy in your life.  The giving is happening all over the world and in ways well beyond that of writing a check!  Goodnight Moon is back!

P.S. If you're wondering why I would post this so soon after posting about Give Well, the authors do include them in their book...but they also go on to point out how you can mentor, volunteer or start advocating for your own cause (one caveat, the authors do acknowledge all the great causes, especially those helping animals;  but their book is focused only on human causes).

Further child reading groups to explore as mentioned in their book (coming in January as a 4-part PBS series):

Experience Corps run by AARP "engages older adults as reading tutors for struggling students in public schools.   A $100 donation can help provide books and supplies for volunteers to use in the classroom throughout the school year."

First Book is a nonprofit that "connects book publishers and community organizations to provide access to new books for children in need."  $20 covers a child for a year.

First Five Years Fund encourages "federal policymakers to invest in the first five years of a child's life."

Reach Out and Read  "runs a network of pediatricians who provide books to young patients and their parents to promote early literacy...a $100 donation ensures that a child graduates after five years with at least ten books."

Room to Read  "led by former Microsoft executive John Wood, builds schools and libraries in Asia and Africa to promote literacy and gender equality in education."

Springboard Collaborative "offers attendance at a summer program to help low-income students replace typical summer reading losses with reading gains."