Family Literacy is Risky Stuff by Maryann Nuckolls Excerpts from an article by first-grade teacher, Maryann Nuckolls. Implementing family literacy programs in an educational setting requires a shift in attitude. Traditionally, schools and curriculum imparted meaning to children about the community in which they lived.
Family literacy is about rethinking the values and relevance of what is learned in school.
Family literacy brings the richness of the child's community into the classroom and drives the curriculum toward authenticity and usefulness. Family literacy is about taking a chance on a piece of print picked up from the playground at recess. It's about believing that it once belonged to a family somewhere. It's about making sense of it by asking questions and creating relationships. It's risky business because teachers never know what direction the curriculum or daily plan will take.