John Steinbeck on Learning to Read
"Some people there are who, being grown; forget the horrible task of learning to read. It is perhaps the greatest single effort that the human undertakes, and he must do it as a child." - John Steinbeck (1962 Nobel Prize Winner for Literature)
My comment: If you'd like to generate an interesting discussion with friends or family, simply pose the question, "Do you remember how you learned to read?" Typically, there is a pause, a bemused smile and then a statement to the effect, "I really don't know." The fact of the matter is that almost no one has a clear sense of how he or she learned this vital skill.
While we're unaware of how our learning took place, typically we are keenly aware of the emotions we felt during the process. For the fortunate ones who found reading to be a breeze, the memories are sheer joy. They happily recall the pride and power they experienced at conquering what they rightly sensed was a very special skill.
For those who found the process to be difficult, the emotions are equally sharp—but of a very different nature. For them, as Steineck says, the task was "horrible." One author, writing of her partner's difficulties in reading used the following words to describe the pain that pervaded his life, "School had been unremitting torment for him. The scars left by his school experiences reached down to his very soul. No amount of love or admiration on her part ever totally erased his low self-esteem or the conviction that he was unable to learn." AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LOVE , M.Schell , Picador New York 1999.
Fortunately we have the power to prevent that pain and suffering. But we can use that power only if we recognize that the difficulties are not the result of problems in the children. Rather they are the result of the inadequate and incomplete methods that have for so long dominated the teaching of reading. As the phrase Phonics PLUS FIVE indicates, six essential skills must be taught if children are to have the tools they need. When, as in the Phonics Plus Five programs, those skills are taught in a systematic, controlled, appealing manner, success is there for all to attain.
