Hey sis, let’s talk for a minute. We both know that in our schools, sometimes “reading” just feels like something we do to pass WASSCE or to recite what the teacher put on the chalkboard. But if we want to be the women who run the banks in Monrovia, lead the hospitals, or even represent our districts in the Capitol, we have to own our reading. It’s not just about the books, it’s about making sure nobody can tell us “no” because we didn’t understand the fine print.
Here are a few ways we can level up our reading skills together, right here in our own backyard.
By: Alice K. Nyeswah
1. Find Time To Read
Our days are packed. Between morning chores, drawing water, and helping your Ma at the market after school, there’s no such thing as a “free hour.”
- The Strategy: Don’t wait for a perfectly quiet desk. Keep a small book or a downloaded article on your phone for those moments when you’re sitting in the back of a keh-keh or waiting for the rain to stop. Even 10 minutes of focused reading is better than zero.
2. Read Out Loud (The “Old School” Way)
Sometimes, the English in our textbooks feels a bit stiff compared to how we talk at home.
- The Strategy: When you get a difficult passage, read it out loud. Hearing the words helps your brain process them differently than just looking at them. If a sentence feels “too big,” break it down into the way you would explain it to your small sister. If you can explain it in simple terms, you’ve mastered it.
3. Build Your “Vocab Bank“
We often skip over big words because we’re in a hurry to finish the chapter. But those big words are the keys to the room.
- The Strategy: Get a small notebook and call it your Power Book. Every time you see a word you don’t know, write it down. Don’t just look it up; use it in a sentence later that day when you’re talking to your friends. “The traffic on Tubman Boulevard was atrocious today!” Once you use the word, it belongs to you forever.
4. Create a “Sister Circle” Reading Group
Reading alone can be dry, especially when the light is fading and the current is off.
- The Strategy: Grab two of your best friends and agree to read the same story or news article. On the walk to school, talk about it. Did the character make a smart move? Do you agree with what the writer said about our economy? When we debate, we remember.
5. Tackle the News, Not Just the Novels
Reading isn’t just about fiction. To be a leader in Liberia, you need to know what’s happening around you.
- The Strategy: Start reading local news or even international reports about West Africa. It helps you get used to “formal” language and gives you the confidence to speak up in social studies or when the adults are talking about “serious matters.”
At the end of the day, remember that every page you turn is a brick you’re laying for your own future house. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for, and a Liberian girl who reads is a woman who can never be silenced.
