Literary Sampler: Essays, Book Reviews, and More...
Monthly Column by Charity Gingerich

Build your Vocabulary

• Fall in love with the English language by signing up for a “word of the day” through the “bible” of dictionaries, The Oxford English Dictionary (www.oed.com). Though subscribing to the dictionary will cost you, the word of the day service is free. Not only will you receive definitions of words, the OED traces the etymology of each word, so you will learn both when it was first recorded as being used, and whether its origin is Old French, Middle English, Latin, and so on. The OED even correlates its word of the day to seasons and holidays!
• Build your vocabulary and help fight world hunger: at Freerice.com, you can play a vocabulary game, and for every word you get right, they purportedly donate “20 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end world hunger.”

Why is This Important?

Because of the OED’s extensive coverage on the etymology of words and their usages/meanings, you’ll grow to have a better understanding/appreciation for words you already know. Also, adding new words to your vocabulary will not only enhance your reading experience, but will make you a better communicator (both in writing and speaking).

Spice up Your Kids' Home School Experience

• As a home-schooled child, how well I remember those house-bound winter days/evenings that seemed to stretch on forever! Fortunately, I was blessed by parents who filled our home with books, encouraged my messy artistic ventures, and passed the evenings with story-time. Now, for a new generation of kids (both home-schooled and otherwise) there is Illustory: Make Your Own Story Kit for kids. For $20 dollars (which includes shipping and handling), children (there really is no age limit) can write/design pages that will be professionally bound into a hard-cover book. For full details, visit creatively-ever-after.com.

Why is This Important?

As a child who adored books, this is a project I would have reveled in, and so will most children who are book-worms. However, not all children like to read or be read to. In such a case, this project may be just the thing to encourage a child, if not to read books, to tell his/her own stories, which may eventually lead to a love of reading. If nothing else, this project will give children a wonderful sense of accomplishment, and the book will, I’m sure, prove to be an important keepsake!

Volunteer!

• Help promote literacy of the English language by finding cross-cultural programs in which you can engage yourself and your family. If you are an Ohioan, for example, consider volunteering for several weeks as an ESL teacher at the International Institute of Akron, a school dedicated to helping immigrants and refugees become integrated into a new culture/language. I volunteered here in the summer of 2006, and found it to be an immensely rewarding experience. Teaching experience is not necessary. The Institute asks that volunteers have a good grasp of the English language, and of course it helps if you enjoy working with/meeting new people. For full details please visit iiakron.org. If you are not an Ohioan, I am sure you can find local institutions in your home state that could use your time and energy!
• If your child’s school has an exchange program, or if a local college or high school has one, consider volunteering as host parents/a host family. The Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program, whose goal is “to provide an opportunity for high school students from the countries of the former Soviet Union to experience life in a democratic society in order to promote democratic values and institutions in Eurasia,” is just one of many opportunities for American families. For a full list of opportunities, please visit the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Education and Cultural Affair’s website.

Why is This Important?

• First, I think it can be too easy for American citizens concerned with issues surrounding illegal immigration to be all lip and no action. For all law-abiding citizens, but particularly for Christians, it seems crucial that we lend weight to our words by reaching out to those who are here legally, to help them learn our language and show them that ours is a culture that welcomes “outsiders” (being a rich culture of many cultures).
• As for volunteering to host foreign-exchange students, this is something that is close to my heart, since I was such a student in Germany during the summer of 2004. Being taken in by complete strangers and shown the depth of generosity and kindness my host family showed me left an indelible impression on me. For families with children learning a foreign language, or for those who simply want to engage in cross-cultural learning, this is an unbelievably rewarding experience!
• Finally, a quick plug for the FLEX program: during my visit to Ukraine in October, I had the privilege of tagging along with a friend teaching in the Peace Corps there. Several of her students—students from village schools who often have access to less than adequate learning materials—were preparing for the FLEX program’s exams, and I found myself avidly rooting for these over and above their private school/city school competitors. Ukraine’s education system is a sadly corrupt one, but for students such as my friend’s, who are able to overcome many, many odds to be accepted into this program, this is an opportunity of a life-time. The one year they will spend in America is their opportunity to witness democracy and learn what citizenship entails, and it may be the only opportunity they will ever have.

Be News Savvy

• Even as a poor college student, where every nickel and dime counted, I could not imagine doing without the insightful/thoughtful coverage of WORLD magazine, a publication dedicated to giving readers the highest possible quality news coverage with a Christian worldview. Besides being a news magazine, WORLD offers columns designed to keep readers apprised of the culture beat; these include movie, book and music reviews. If you don’t already, consider subscribing at worldmag.com. You can’t afford not to!
• For kids, WORLD offers God’s World News, an educational magazine that will help shape youngsters’ worldview early (gwnews.com). As for those kids who can’t get enough science, Answers in Genesis, sponsored by Ken Ham, offers Kids Answers, a magazine dedicated to teaching kids about their world from a biblical perspective (answersingenesis.org/kids).

Why is This Important?

• From a political perspective, of course, we are moving into possibly the most important election year of our times. This is not a time for anyone, let alone Christians, to be complacent or in a fog about the political/cultural climate. We need to be aware of what is going on so we can pray and act accordingly. Being in the world but not of it is not a license for ignorance or lackadaisicalness!
• From a cultural perspective, WORLD is vital because it provides informed opinions on popular culture. I, for one, do not have time to watch every movie that comes out (nor would I want to), keep abreast of every TV show, new album, etc. However, thanks to WORLD, I can at least make intelligent references to movies, books, TV shows and albums when they pop up in conversation. Perhaps more importantly, WORLD’s reviews serve as an excellent guide, helping me decide what is worth seeing, hearing, and reading.

Copyright © 2008 by Charity Gingerich.

About the Author: Charity graduated from Kent State University with a BA in English, as well as minors in writing and history in 2006. This fall (2008) she will be entering the MFA in Creative Writing program at West Virginia University where she will be specializing in poetry. Charity always welcomes any questions/suggestions about this column. Click Here to send her an email.