| When my son was in nursery school he raised his | | | | his long term unforgettable memory, my son, not |
| hand to get his teacher's attention."Yes, | | | | yet two and a half years old, started to read - |
| Daniel?"Daniel pointed to the word "Conneticut" | | | | really read, not just parrot words he'd memorized. |
| written on the blackboard and said, "You spelled | | | | He was able to decode long words simply by |
| Connecticut wrong." She looked at the board and | | | | sounding out the letters. Was I proud!Daniel |
| realized he was right."Daniel, how did you know it | | | | considered reading just another game played with |
| was wrong?" asked the perplexed teacher."It's | | | | his Daddy. He thought it a challenge when I said |
| because I have a young and powerful brain!" | | | | those oft-spoken words, "sound it out." As a |
| Daniel triumphantly replied.His teacher contacted | | | | result, after learning phonics, he'd try to read |
| me by phone shortly thereafter, told me what | | | | anything. Since no one told him that words like |
| Daniel had said, and asked me how he could | | | | plethora, obtuse, lethargic, and bellicose, and |
| possibly know about the misspelled word."I told | | | | erudite were big words - college level words - |
| her that when he was almost two years old, I | | | | he'd tackle them too by sounding them out. Daniel |
| started to teach him how to read.She was full of | | | | read every word in the Best Word Book Ever at |
| more questions. "Why did you bother to teach | | | | least a hundred times. "How about the Take |
| him to read? Surely he would have learned how | | | | Turns Game, Daniel?" I would turn to any page in |
| to read in school at the developmentally | | | | the book and Daniel would start reading. He read |
| appropriate age."I had no idea what she meant by | | | | three words and then I did the same. Or, Daniel |
| a developmentally appropriate age. All I knew is | | | | would read a full sentence and I would read the |
| that Daniel turned into a superb reader so he | | | | next one. Taking turns reading aloud made Daniel |
| must have been ready to read. "Maybe yes, | | | | want to read - he just had to keep up with his |
| maybe no," I replied. As I see things, reading is | | | | Daddy. Little kids, I soon learned, are intensely |
| too crucial for his success in school and in life to | | | | competitive and adore winning.I did not limit his |
| leave to chance. That's why I did the job myself. | | | | reading material to his kid's books. We also read |
| His education, I hope you understand, is ultimately | | | | the newspaper, street signs, license plates, recipes |
| my responsibility. Don't you agree?" All I heard in | | | | - anything in print. Daniel wasn't fussy. Being a |
| reply to my question was a muffled grunt.She | | | | CPA, I was especially proud after he read the |
| continued with a noticeable edge to her voice. | | | | first page of a 1040 tax return. "Hey Daddy, |
| "Who taught you how to do it? You must be a | | | | what does adjusted gross income mean?"Daniel |
| teacher.""Nah...I am a CPA and no one taught me | | | | made lots of mistakes and so, to protect his ego, |
| ...all I did was teach him the alphabet, the sounds | | | | I invented the mistake game. This game enabled |
| the letters make, and oh yes, I made sure he | | | | him to catch me making a mistake. I reasoned |
| had tons and tons of practice. It was all really | | | | that if Daniel saw that his Daddy could make a |
| very simple. Honest, his brain did most of the | | | | mistake and not have a snit, he'd learn to accept |
| work."By the shrillness of her response, I was | | | | them. It worked.Daniel Let's play the mistake |
| sure she was about to deliver a cow. "YOU | | | | game.Me Okay, you go first.Daniel What sound |
| REALLY TAUGHT HIM PHONICS WHEN HE WAS | | | | does CH make?Me ShhhhDaniel You made a |
| TWO YEARS OLD?!" She said the word phonics | | | | mistake Daddy. Try again.Me Are you sure I |
| like it was three day old road kill. This was my | | | | made a mistake Daniel?Daniel Yes Daddy. A CH |
| first indication that there was a problem | | | | makes the CHA sound.Me You're right! Gosh, are |
| somewhere with our schools and phonics. It would | | | | you smart!One of our favorites was the "DO IT" |
| not be until many years later that I'd learn about | | | | game. In order for him to understand that there |
| the bizarre things going on in reading instruction at | | | | is a reason for reading, a message to be |
| our schools.* * *I remember the evening I made | | | | understood in everything written. I would print a |
| that fateful decision as though it were yesterday. | | | | message on a piece of paper such as "close your |
| "I'm going to teach Daniel how to read to me!" I | | | | eyes and jump up and down." If Daniel read the |
| hollered to my wife who was watching television | | | | instruction and started jumping up and down, I |
| in the next room. Daniel was standing on his bed, | | | | knew he was reading for comprehension - the |
| and probably wondered what his silly Daddy was | | | | only reason for reading. He never lost that game.. |
| yelling about. He didn't know then, nor did I, how | | | | Some spelling instruction systems say that it is all |
| much those few words would eventually change | | | | right for a child to invent his or her own spelling, |
| our lives. Suddenly Daniel's bed became a | | | | that sooner or later kids will learn the correct |
| classroom and I became his first teacher. From | | | | spelling. I didn't buy that invented spelling nonsense. |
| that day on, things in our family would never be | | | | I thought it better for him to learn how to spell |
| quite the same.My lack of teaching experience | | | | correctly the first time around than to unlearn the |
| never bothered me a whit. I never created lesson | | | | incorrect spelling later.* * *Final results? After |
| plans and took every lesson one day at a time. I | | | | investing about 30-40 minutes a night for about |
| simply relied on old-fashioned common sense and | | | | two years, the results were quite gratifying. Daniel |
| trial and error to chart my course. This was | | | | entered kindergarten reading and spelling at the |
| nightime learning fun between my son and me. As | | | | fourth or fifth grade level. But even more than |
| it turned out, my total ignorance of current early | | | | that, when he was four I had him tested by an |
| teaching methodology was of crucial importance | | | | educational psychologist who told me Daniel had a |
| to my later success. For example, my ignorance | | | | genius level IQ of 148.Some people tell me that |
| kept me away from developmentalism. This idiotic | | | | Daniel could read because he was born |
| philosophy says that it's wrong to teach | | | | super-gifted, unusually bright, a genius. I'd sure like |
| preschoolers how to read because in some way, | | | | to think that is true, that he inherited my brainy |
| it would damage them. Had I known about this, I | | | | genes, but I know better. Daniel wasn't born a |
| never would have taught my son how to read | | | | genius with anything that millions of other children |
| and I would have missed what was the most | | | | across the world do not possess. What I did, |
| joyful experience of my life.The lessons began . . | | | | however, was to make him use it. I did not teach |
| .To start, I began to teach Daniel the basic building | | | | my son how to read to make him smart. At the |
| blocks of reading -- the letters of the alphabet | | | | time, I had no clue about the interesting |
| and their sounds (phonics). That turned out to be | | | | byproduct of early readng. Learning how to read |
| the wisest possible beginning. A friend gave me | | | | exercised his brain which acted like a brain growth |
| Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever which has | | | | catalyst.and made him very smart. The realization |
| the alphabet on the first two pages. In the most | | | | of what my teaching had done to my son's |
| entertaining ways possible, I taught Daniel the | | | | intellect fascinated me to no end. I had literally |
| alphabet, both lower and upper case. We | | | | created high intelligence! This was sure a lot more |
| practiced and reviewed the letters on those first | | | | interesting than mindlessly filling out tax returns. |
| two pages for several months, literally branding | | | | Why didn't I go into education instead of |
| the alphabet and their sounds into Daniel's | | | | accounting?* * *Soon enough, I became an |
| long-term unforgettable memory. Another great | | | | educational gadfly. I began to put on seminars at |
| aid in teaching him the alphabet was the alphabet | | | | continuing adult education centers and even went |
| song. I must have sung it with him a million times | | | | on radio talk shows to spread the message that |
| and he enjoyed it every time. Unlike adults, little | | | | we can make our children very bright and there |
| kids love repetition.That's how they learn best.And | | | | was no longer any excuse for school or reading |
| so it went. Every day I added a few new letters | | | | failure. Parents can prevent that . . . that we |
| and constantly reviewed letters previously learned. | | | | parents must get involved in the educational |
| I somehow knew that he had to learn the | | | | process . . . that we are or should become our |
| alphabet and their sounds as well as he knew his | | | | children's first teachers.Not everyone, I learned to |
| own name and constant practice and review (drill | | | | my surprise, was enthralled with the promise of |
| and practice) was the best way to do it. If there | | | | much higher intelligence for their children. I was |
| was any one key to my success, it was certainly | | | | suddenly at odds with most of the educational |
| constant long term repetitive practice. When I | | | | establishment who wanted nothing to do with |
| learned that educators speak of drill and practice | | | | early reading instruction. At first I naively thought |
| in disparaging terms, I began to understand why | | | | educators would embrace my ideas. Was I wrong |
| we have a reading problem. How could anyone be | | | | about that! Because they thought of me as a |
| against long term practice?I learned quickly that I | | | | home schooler in disguise, the educators despised |
| must not bore him, so I played lots of fun learning | | | | everything I stood for.Educators spend much of |
| games. I laughed and smiled a lot, celebrated | | | | their time dissuading parents from early reading |
| Daniel's triumphs and showed genuine enthusiasm | | | | instruction. They use words like hot housing, |
| for his progress. In other words, I joined Daniel in | | | | developmentally inappropriate, elitism, parental |
| his world. It would have been ludicrous for me to | | | | pressure, let kids be kids, and other such self |
| expect Daniel to come into my boring and stuffy | | | | serving nonsense. For the longest time I could not |
| adult world. To make things even more | | | | understand why these educators are so |
| interesting, I rarely dwelled on any subject too | | | | steadfastly against early reading. What can be |
| long. I might start a lesson with a five-minute | | | | more harmless than parents teaching reading to |
| conversation about the "B" sound and then ask | | | | their tots and toddlers? Even more than that, |
| Daniel if water is a liquid, gas or solid. After that, I | | | | they seem to downgrade or ignore the vast |
| might ask him to show me four fingers on his left | | | | importance of high intelligence, as if intelligence |
| hand or even what the ancient Greek Democritis | | | | does not really matter. They call themselves |
| is noted for (he coined the word "atom."As the | | | | developmentalists. Watch out for and avoid them |
| weeks of nightly instruction continued, I | | | | like the plague.The following is an exercise that will |
| discovered, much to my delight, that this teaching | | | | tell you why one reason why educators despise |
| business was not a chore. Instead, I found myself | | | | very early academics. Think of twenty poor inner |
| eagerly looking forward to the lessons. I was | | | | city black kids who were all taught to read as I |
| enjoying myself enormously and I was fascinated | | | | taught my son. Picture them all entering the same |
| by the speed of Daniel's progress. I hadn't yet | | | | kindergarten class. See them all carrying the |
| grasped how amazingly fast little kids learn. Of | | | | newspaper or their favorite computer manual. |
| particular enjoyment were our Socratic like | | | | See the teacher who is all prepared to teach |
| learning conversations. "Daniel, do you know that | | | | these kids the alphabet with wooden blocks. All |
| everything in the world is made of little bitty | | | | the kids are already reading at the fourth grade |
| things called atoms?" The subjects of these | | | | level. Seeing the disaster before her eyes, what is |
| conversations varied. Since my two year old had | | | | the teacher to do? Whatever she does, she |
| the whole world to learn about, almost anything | | | | knows she must throw out the blocks as well as |
| that popped into my head was of value. Needless | | | | her old timetables. A whole new world was |
| to say, he reveled in all the one on one attention I | | | | before her eyes.So what would finally happen? |
| lavished on him.One of my neighbors who is a | | | | After innumerable meeting and conferences, her |
| teacher warned me not to pressure him too | | | | peers and the powers that be in education would |
| much to learn or he might burn out. I told her that | | | | have no choice but vastly smarten up the |
| she had the culprits mixed up. I told her, "Once | | | | curricula and adjust to the children's amazingly high |
| Daniel got a taste of the fun lessons, he | | | | intellects. The kids nor their parents would accept |
| pressured me for more and more learning time. | | | | anything less. This is how our tots and toddlers will |
| He became utterly relentless!" What started out | | | | eventually change our educational system.Finally, |
| as fifteen minute lessons soon became forty | | | | let me end this on a positive note. My thoughts |
| minutes or more.Then came the little words . . | | | | are not focused on my son's accomplishments. |
| .the most commonly used two and three letter | | | | Instead I think about the joyous learning times he |
| words. We practiced them until he knew them | | | | and I spent together. Sadly I think about the fact |
| instantly by sight. Count among them: the, I, a, | | | | that such times can never be repeated. Frankly, I |
| you, is, to, me, he, it, was, can, if, in, are, on, of, | | | | envy those parents who have read this article |
| and maybe fifty more.Amazingly, after about four | | | | and decide to live that teaching adventure. They |
| or five months, when the alphabet with their | | | | will never regret it. |
| related sounds and the little words were firmly in | | | | |