Hey Reader!

Mentally, I’m already on summer break. Sometimes the summer slowdown gives us space to actually SEE what's been happening around us all year. And this week, I've been noticing some things that have me shook.

Specifically, what's happening with reading and literacy, as kids are heading out of school.

Let's dive in. 👇🏾

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RANT

The kids can't read. And that's wild as hell.

I've been seeing these posts and stories about what's happening in our schools, and I am SHOOK. Teachers are talking about high schoolers who can't spell basic words. Kids graduating who struggle to read at an elementary level. Students who've never written a research paper or learned how to cite sources properly.

We got kids getting diplomas who can't spell the word 'diploma'!?! What in the actual world is happening?! 😡

Listen, I went to Chicago Public Schools. My high school is still considered one of the best in the country (shoutout to the Whitney Young Dolphins 🐬), so I recognize the privilege in that. But let me tell you what my experience was like.

In 8th grade, my History teacher required a research paper EVERY two weeks. Not just any paper, each one had to have at least 5 sources. I remember doing one on the Manhattan Project and the Atomic Bomb, hunting through encyclopedias (yes, actual books!) and spending my weekends at the library (in fact, that’s where I got my first email address).

Sophomore year of high school? My honors English teacher (Mrs. Biel) made us write weekly papers. First, she'd grade the content and you might get a 96 for that. Then she'd go back through with her red pen and deduct a point for every grammatical error, missing comma, or spelling mistake. Your 96 could quickly become an 80. It taught me to be such a clean writer!

Now I'm hearing that kids are graduating high school without basic writing skills. Teachers are being told not to take off points for spelling and grammar because it might hurt students' self-esteem. That research papers are optional or non-existent. And now, they’re using AI for the most basic of things.

WE ARE FAILING THESE CHILDREN. THE KIDS WERE LEFT BEHIND (epic side-eyes to George W. Bush 😒😒😒) 🗣️

I don't care if it sounds "back in my day," there was something to be said for having standards and sticking to them. Lack of literacy is wild. These are the kids who are supposed to be the future Whitney was talmbout?? Uh uh.

This participation trophy ass world we’re living in.

This isn't about being mean or unreasonable. This is about preparing young people for LIFE. And life requires basic skills like reading, writing, and critical thinking.

We gotta do better. For real. 😩 But shoutout to educators who are trying their best as the system sets everyone up to fail.

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REFLECTION

We cannot afford to relax about our world.

I never thought I'd be the one talking about how things were different when I was coming up. But here we are, and honestly? I'm not mad about it.

Because sometimes "back in my day" isn't about nostalgia. It's about recognizing when we've lost something critical.

Progress isn't just about moving ahead. It's about making sure we don't leave excellence behind.

And that's the lesson that's been hitting me hard this week. When we take our feet off the gas, we lose progress. And it's showing up EVERYWHERE. 🗣️

One generation. ONE GENERATION away from millennials, and Gen Z is in shambles when it comes to basic academic skills. We took our feet off the justice gas and LOST ROE VS. WADE!!! We have fewer rights than our mothers did and that is insane. INSANE.

We got comfortable. We assumed that progress was automatic, that things would just keep getting better on their own. We took our foot off the gas of intentionally designing a functional world where we prioritize the least among us and coasted. We took for granted what was available to us and we unlocked the door so anyone could come in. That is how we ended up with Habanero Hitler for president TWICE.

I think about the teachers who pushed me, who demanded more than I thought I could give, who refused to accept my first draft as my best effort. Those teachers understood something we've forgotten: True compassion isn't protecting people from challenges, it's equipping them to meet them.

Now I'm watching Gen Z struggle with things that should be foundational. Basic literacy. Critical thinking. The ability to focus for more than 15 seconds without needing entertainment.

And I know this isn't their fault. This is what happens when adults decide that "self-esteem" is more important than skills. When we prioritize feelings over fundamentals. One generation of lowered expectations, and we're seeing the results. Kids graduating who can't function in college. Young adults entering the workforce without basic communication skills. An ANXIOUS GENERATION. A crumbling society.

That's not their fault. We did that. (And the Boomers especially but that’s for another day).

So yeah, I'm embracing my "back in my day" energy. Because sometimes the way forward requires looking back at what actually worked. Sometimes progress means recovering what we lost, not just moving ahead blindly.

When we take our feet off the gas while on a hill, we don't just stop moving forward, we start rolling backward.​
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RECOMMENDATION

Summer's here. Let's start playing games again.

This summer, I want us to get back to some basics: playing board games. Let’s get back to rolling dice on a board and cackling if we think someone cheated. Andddd we can use them to learn.

I got the perfect board game for you and it’s my newest fave. And you can play it with kids of all ages and adults. It’s like if Scrabble meets Chutes and Ladders.

My ace Eunique Jones Gibson just dropped a new game called "What's The Word?" and y'all... WE PLAYED THIS FOR TWO HOURS this week at my house. It was so fun!

Here's how it works: You roll a set of 2 dice. One gives you the first letter of your word, the other gives you the last letter. So for example, S and Y. Then you have 15 seconds to come up with a word and write it down. I did SATISFACTORY, and moved up 3 spaces.

The longer your word, the more spaces you move. But here's the genius part! Sometimes a shorter word is the smarter strategy! There are traps on the board like "Slow Your Roll" where you lose a turn, so you gotta think ahead.

This is exactly what we need right now. Games that make thinking and learning fun. Activities that bring families together without phones. Ways to practice spelling and vocabulary that don't feel like homework.

Because if schools aren't going to teach these skills properly, WE have to step up at home. 🗣️

Get "What's The Word?" (and note that the only reason I'm giving you an Amazon link is because this game is SO GOOD, it's sold out on the IYKYK Games site and Amazon is the only place that has it in stock) and watch your family's vocabulary grow while you're laughing together. And Eunique is also the brilliant mind behind Culture Tags, which saved us during the pandemic.

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Reply back and tell me this: What board games did you love growing up? Cuz I’m buying more this summer.

With love and literacy,

P.S. Speaking of defending words and names, don't forget you can still get your custom name keychain! Because everyone deserves to see their name celebrated, not just the Michaels and Jennifers of the world. 💫