Local leaders in education, business and the nonprofit sector gathered at Augusta University’s Harris Literacy Center at the HUB for Community Innovation, Wednesday morning, to discuss new ways to foster literacy in Augusta.
This was the Literacy Center’s third annual Community Conversation symposium, in which educators gather to consider solutions toward reading mastery among both children and adults.
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The first two events were primarily devoted to developing the center, which opened at the HUB last year, and the original iteration of which was founded by the late education professor and literacy advocate Paulette Harris, for whom it was named.
“It’s been around for over 30 years, but with our move down here, we have new opportunities, new structures, and then so the first two years were really beneficial to get us off and running,” said Literacy Center Director Betsy VanDeusen, noting that this year the conversation pivoted to focus on its outreach. “We need to continue to think about the center, but let’s think broadly about literacy and bringing together community leaders to talk about it.”
The conference began with a viewing of the documentary “The Truth About Reading,” which highlighted the pervasiveness of illiteracy among adults in the U.S. After the viewing, a guided dialogue ensued about what local educators could address this issue locally.
Amanda Stevens, head of school at the Westabou Montessori School, raised the issue of how children have fallen behind in meeting reading milestones since COVID, asking how teachers and school administration can “[work] as a community to meet this need…specifically for that early childhood component, before they come to school.”
Augusta University teaching professor Cheri Ogden noted that new teachers can’t tackle growing literacy issues alone, particularly when those issues are exacerbated by socioeconomic problems.
“We have social emotional learning, we have food pantries, and clothing closets, because we know your basic needs have to be met before we can teach you those other skills,” said Ogden. “New teachers… are just hit so many things that they have to learn and do and they’re responsible for so quickly.”
The talk was meant to establish a collaboration among education leaders in the city, and set up support systems so that individual participants—from roles in the Richmond County School System, AU, Augusta Technical College and organizations such as United Way—could help each other tackle literacy among child and adult learners, VanDeusen explained.
The group resolved to remain connected to continue the deliberations that started in the conference, but the event conclude with a poetic exercise: each group of participants would work together to compose a “six word memoir” to summarize their thoughts and aims as inspired by the day’s conversation.
Among the new phrases produced were “Reading is powerful, let’s start today,” “Literacy is hope, unlock the possibilities,” “Balance, literacy, proficiency, through focused collaboration,” and “fight poverty, promote literacy, change lives.”
For more information on the Dr. Paulette P. Harris Literacy Center, email literacycenter@augusta.edu.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
