[email protected]

**However, what about these adults who have never learned? If reading is
picked up freely, without lessons, why would some get to adulthood unable to read?
Pressure? Wrong teaching methods (the phonics lady's answer, btw.)? This
woman was hesitant to use labels...she wasn'twilling to accept "dyslexia" as a
common problem, believing that phonics instruction would eliminate 99% of
"dyslexia" problems.**

**It's because they're stuck in school! School is one of the most
intellectually sterile environments there is. There is no one-on-one, no real life
reading opportunities and no stimulation. Even phonics can fail in the classroom.**
 
Even in the very best schools, with real life reading opportunities,
one-on-one reading together time, exciting environments, children fail to learn to
read and get placed on the endless remediation treadmill.

The biggest reason there are adult nonreaders and limited ability readers is
the school timetable. Kids who don't learn to read "on schedule" quickly
become convinced that they are stupid or defective, and from that point on only the
most determined and strong will ever learn to read well. The rest adopt a
variety of protective strategies - they learn to fake it, they learn to not let
people know they care, they learn to act as if reading and everything to do
with reading is stupid and not worth their time. But once identified as problem
readers, they rarely learn to read well.

Kids who are supported and nurtured in a belief that reading will come in
it's own good time don't have to fight against the fear and phobias induced by
not reading "on time" that schools supply so well to their students.

Sarah finally read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone this week. She
started it on Thursday last week, in our hotel room in Columbia, she finished it
yesterday. She's started that book many times over the years, putting it down in
frustration each time. (They really are hard books for a not fluent reader,
who has to try to figure out for each unfamiliar word if they're not getting it
because it's a made up word, or if it's a word they might know after all.)
Each time I put it up on top of the shelf and reassured her that Harry would be
there when she was ready, no hurry. I've written before of her struggles with
reading, how much she wanted to read for so many years and how she was utterly
unable to get past a very few very familiar words in spite of much effort.
She is now well and truly "a reader" - able to read everything she wants to
read, in all situations.

She is 11 1/2 years old. Were she in school she would be going into sixth
grade, and I am certain she would not be a reader. She is a very sensitive girl -
the school processes that would have attempted to help her with her problems
hearing and separating sounds would have utterly convinced her she was stupid
forevermore, and I would have been unable to do enough to undo that damage in
her hours outside of school. She's a smart girl, though. She'd have learned to
fake it.

Lucky for her we were unschoolers before she was born. Lucky for all of us.

Deborah in IL


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 8/31/03 03:08:11 AM Central Daylight Time,
dacunefare@... writes:
She's a smart girl, though. She'd have learned to
fake it.

Lucky for her we were unschoolers before she was born. Lucky for all of us.

Deborah in IL
************************************************************

What a wonderful post! Thank you for sharing, and thank you for being such a
beautiful, understanding Mommy!

~Nancy

Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the
dark place where it leads.
Erica Jong


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Heidi

> **It's because they're stuck in school! School is one of the most
> intellectually sterile environments there is. There is no one-on-
one, no real life
> reading opportunities and no stimulation. Even phonics can fail in
the classroom.**
>  
> Even in the very best schools, with real life reading
opportunities,
> one-on-one reading together time, exciting environments, children
fail to learn to
> read and get placed on the endless remediation treadmill.
>
> The biggest reason there are adult nonreaders and limited ability
readers is
> the school timetable. Kids who don't learn to read "on schedule"
quickly
> become convinced that they are stupid or defective, and from that
point on only the
> most determined and strong will ever learn to read well. The rest
adopt a
> variety of protective strategies -


This is where some backbone on my part would have come in pretty
handy. I could have just said...actually, I did give it a bit of an
attempt..."I'm simply not panicking about it. Katie knows her
phonics, and can sound out her letters and writes (very) well...GOOD
handwriting...but she was a late speaker, so I'm simply not going to
panic about it, thanks anyway..."

but I'm a wimp. I put in a feeble attempt at pointing out some of
these things. In a world where HeidiC has the courage of her
convictions, I would have pointed out the research *I* have done on
it, that tells me kids who read late are just as proficient readers
in adulthood, as those who start early. I would have questioned the
system that produces adult illiteracy (and gotten a lot of agreement
from Phonics Lady, but hers was "Because they don't use phonics in
school"...never any question that making sure they are reading well
by the end of third grade might be part of the problem...

well anyway. I figured that was the reason why there are some who
make it to adulthood unable to read: they're put into the box, and
when they don't fit, they are made to feel inadequate, start
stressing over it, setting themselves up for those defense mechanisms
you mention. I'm so glad I've protected Katie from so much of that,
but pretty frustrated at these well-meaning friends and relations who
want to put their panic on Katie...ticks me off, actually...

thanks for the input. Back to watching as reading starts clicking for
my girl! :)

Blessings, HeidiC