Since being in the throes of getting my ESL (English as a Second Language) degree, and studying Linguistics and Child Language Aquisition, I've seen in action that literary is key.

I began mentoring emancipated minors from war decimated countries as part of a practicum.  From there, it was only a matter of time before I began teaching the kids at a school where it was 98% refugee children coming over with their families via the UNHCR.

In general, it took about a year and summer school for the kids to become fluent and able to write.  Most of these kids were illiterate in their native languages... could not read or write at all.  So I was helping teach literacy to illiterate children.

At the same time, I became involved in their lives and that of their parents during homework club.  The parents, by and large, were completely illiterate.  Working the most menial of jobs.  Some of them, mostly the men, standing in front of stores waiting for day labor -- hard physical labor that took its toll -- jobs.  The moms either stayed at home caring for younger siblings, or, worked "under the table" as house cleaners, usually under a woman who had English language skills, that spoke their language, and probably took half of what they were paid -- thus taking advantage of their lack of literacy.

I followed the kids' life journeys from 4-6th grade until they hit High School.  Then moved.  Most of the kids have thrived and flourished.  I feel a great sense of accomplishment that I was one of the people instrumental in helping them navigate life in America..  And helping them to become tax-paying, productive members of society.  Who perhaps inspired them to become "something".  "Someone".  Have a career path...

I also mentored some of these kids, as they folded from a direct UNHCR mentoring program to CFS/DSS mentoring program and the kids were followed by the county instead of the program set up to monitor them.  I can tell you that, these kids (I stay in touch with every one of my mentees, now some are in college) have achieved the American dream, by and large. 

That is.  Educate oneself to the best of your ability and take advantage of our educational system... do the best you can in life, and be helpful and kind to others, as others have been to them.

I am proud and I think this story should lift your spirits.   Especially because, essential to the teaching, computers (Rosetta Stone, just one program) and the library were integral to their literacy!

Half of a Duo, Raising a Duo

http://micrimas.blogspot.com

I will give you an example.

In Homework Club, the same PCs we used Rosetta Stone English for the kids,,, we gave gratis classes for their parents, after school.  The classes were packed.  The parents were eager to learn English.  They were using the pcs.  I imagine that small attempt towards gaining literacy in a new world, totally different from the world they left... helped them.

I know it did.  One of my mentee's mom attending English classes and uses the PC now... she arrived from a refugee camp, with quite a few children, and a husband killed in tribal warfare.  She could not speak a word of English.  Now she is relatively fluent and she's pretty great at using Skype and the PC!

I don't know about American literacy all that much,,,, just about the refugee population.  At one point I volunteered to teach at Project Literacy, which helps all adults with their literacy, but I was diagnosed with cancer and could not start teaching.  So I don't have a frame of reference with regard to illiterate American-born adults.

The only frame of reference I do have is a former coworker whose work I depended on, who was illiterate.  And he was moved around in the company, for to let him go, the company risked a lawsuit.  They had no idea when they hired him that he was functionally illiterate.  He was a great guy.  I ended up giving him lessons in punctuation and English during our breaks.  But I depended on his literacy to do my job and I ended up doing double the work.  He got paid... and moved around... as soon as people caught on to his inability to form proper sentences, they gave him a grace period and he was moved elsewhere.  No one bothered to try and push him towards classes to advance his writing skills, which were essential in our field of work.

Half of a Duo, Raising a Duo

http://micrimas.blogspot.com

I love your phrase: "being a conduit not a critic."  I feel your frustration, anger, dismay.  I am doing a gig at a place that teaches ESOL, GED, High School, ABE classes.  My frustration is not with immigrants.  Most of them are working truly hard.  I am frustrated, dismayed and often near tears at my American-born students who at 18 or 22 or 30 don't have the skills they need...some don't have emails or use computers!  In 2009!  Computer centers with free access are easy to find in the Boston area.  Getting them to follow-up, follow-through, read the application with me while I help them fill them out.  I try to teach them so they can do things on their own but there's a lot of shut-down.

Then I have friends and acquaintances who are educated but wouldn't read a book (of any type) if their life depended on it and don't use computers to do much at all. 

However, I am an America, and there are millions of us who are on the other side and we will persevere.  Or at least that's what I tell myself.

http://blog.candelarisilva.com

Good and plenty!